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HX64077306 
RA84.C1  M38  1 988    Report  ol  the  State 


RECAP 


Mass.  repartment  of  ^ublic  ^ealth 
•••Report  of  the  State  Board  of  Health  on 
Water-supply  &  Sewerage. 

RA8U.   d   M38 


CoUege  of  S^f^v^iciani  anti  S>urgeon£( 


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.SENAT14  ....  ....   No.  4, 


R  E  P  O  H  T 


STATE  B().\RD  OF  HK.Vi;rH  OK  MASSACHUSETTS 


WATER-SUPPLY  AND  SEWERAGE, 


UNDER  THE  PROVISIONS  OF  CHAPTER  274, 
OF  THE  ACTS  OF  1886. 


Jaxuart,    1888. 


r.OSTON 

UKK.ili     .\     I'ulTKU    rKIJNTING    COMi'A^'Y,    STATE    PRIXTEKS. 

18  Post  Office  Square. 

1888. 


SENATE  ....  ....  No.  4.  / 


r^ 


REPORT 


STATE  BOARD  OF  HEALTH  OF  MASSACHUSETTS 


WATER-SUPPLY  AND  SEWERAGE, 


UNDER   THE   PROVISIONS    OF   CHAPTER   274, 
OF    THE    ACTS    OF    1886. 


January,   1888, 


BOSTON : 

WRIGHT   &    POTTER    PRINTING    COMPANY,    STATE    PRINTERS, 

18  Post  Office  Square. 

1888. 


CONTENTS. 


Page 

I.     Advick  to  Citiks  and  Towxs, 2 

Water-Supply, .  3 

Disposal  of  Sewage, 11 

Pollution  of  Inland  Waters, 22 

Disposal  of  Manufacturing  Drainage, 24 

II.     Examination  of  Inland  Waters, 25 

Taunton  River, 32 

Charles  River, 33 

Blackstone  River. 35 

Merrimack  River, 36 

III.     Puuification  of  Sewage, 37 

Experimental  Station  at  Lawrence, 42 

Recommexdations, G6 

Report  of  the  Chief  Engineer 07 

Report  of  the  Biologist, 89 

Chapter  274,  Acts  of  1886, 1)5 


SENATE     .     .     .     .    No.  4. 


Comtnonmcaitt)  of  MhssatimOts. 


Office  of  State  Board  of  Health, 

13  Beacon  St.,  Boston,  Jan.  9,  1888, 

Hon.  Halsey  J.  Boardman,  President  of  the  Senate. 

Sir  :  —  I  have  the  honor  to  present  to  the  Legislature  the 
Report  of  the  State  Board  of  Health,  required  by  the  pro- 
visions of  section  1  of  chapter  274  of  the  Acts  of  1886, 
entitled  "  An  Act  to  Protect  the  Purity  of  Inland  Waters." 

Respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

SAM'L  W.  ABBOTT, 

Secretary  State  Board  of  Health. 


WATER   SUPPLY   AND   SEWERAGE.       [Jan. 


WATER   SUPPLY   AISTD   SEWERAGE. 


Report  of  the  State  Board  of  Health   required  by  Section 
1  OF  Chapter  274  of  the  Acts  of  1886. 

The  work  of  the  State  Board  of  Health  under  .the  ' '  Act 
to  protect  the  purity  of  inhind  waters,"  and  under  the 
appropriation  of  $30,000  made  by  the  last  General  Court, 
may  be  divided  into  three  departments  :  — 

I.  That  of  advising  cities,  towns,  corporations  and 
individuals  in  regard  to  the  most  appropriate  source  of 
supply  for  their  drinking  waters  and  the  best  method  of 
assuring  the  purity  thereof  and  of  disposing  of  their  sew- 
age. 

II.  Obtaining  information  in  regard  to  all  of  the  existing 
sources  of  domestic  water  supplies  in  the  State,  and  sub- 
jecting samples  from  each  source  to  chemical  analysis  once 
a  month,  and  to  biological  examination  Avhen  necessary,  and 
in  makino-  such  chemical  examinations  of  other  inland  waters 
as  the  general  purposes  of  the  Act  require. 

III.  Collecting  information  in  regard  to  experiments  that 
have  hitherto  been  made  upon  the  purification  of  sewage 
by  applying  it  to  land,  and  arranging  for  and  conducting 
such  additional  experiments  upon  such  purification  as  are 
necessary  to  obtain  knowledge  required  for  immediate  use 
within  the  State. 


I. 

In  the  first  department  there  have  been  twenty-five  appli- 
cations* from  the  following  cities,  towns  and  individuals  for 
advice  or  official  action  by  the  Board.  Of  these,  eleven 
were  in  regard  to  water  supplies,  as  follows  :  Boston,  Chel- 
sea,    Somcrville    and    Everett;    Bradford,    Randolph    and 

*  Blank  forms  of  application  for  advice  under  the  provisions  of  chaffter  274  of 
the  Acts  of  1886  have  been  prepared  for  the  use  of  cities,  towns  and  others,  and  may- 
be i.rociued  at  the  office  of  the  Board  at  13  Beacon  Street,  Boston. 


1888.]  SENATE  — No.  4.  3 

Ilolbrook,  Andover,  Ayer,  Belmont,  North  Easton,  May- 
nard,  Ncedham,  Athol,  Mansfield.  There  were  also  eleven 
ai)plications  in  regard  to  sewerage  :  from  Taunton,  ]\Iilford, 
Ware,  Westlield  State  Normal  School,  Westborough  Lunatic 
Hospital,  Clinton,  Brockton,  Southbridge,  Athol,  Reforma- 
tory Prison  for  A\'onien,  AV'altham.  Two  applications  in 
regard  to  pollutions  of  streams  :  Arlington,  relating  to  pol- 
lution of  Alewife  Brook  and  Lower  Mystic  Pond,  and  Palmer, 
in  regard  to  pollution  of  Graves  Brook,  and  one  applica- 
tion from  A\".  II.  Abbott,  concerning  the  disposal  of  manufac- 
turing refuse  at  Northampton. 

To  satisfactorily  answer  the  questions  submitted  to  the 
Board,  under  tlie  provisions  of  chapter  274  of  the  Acts  of 
1886,  the  Board  has  adopted  the  following  practice  :  The 
plans  and  estimates  presented  by  the  parties  in  interest  are 
at  once  referred  to  the  engineer  of  the  Board,  in  order  that 
he  may  make  a  careful  examination  of  the  localities  con- 
cerned and  determine  the  value  of  the  evidence  already  col- 
lected. Should  this  be  sufhcient  to  enable  him  to  come  to 
a  conclusion  satisfactory  to  himself,  the  result  is  reported  to 
the  Board.  The  appropriate  committee,  and  in  many  in- 
stances the  whole  Board,  then  visits  the  locality.  The 
advice  of  the  consulting  engineer  is  also  obtained  in  all  im- 
portant cases  ;  and  pul)hc  hearings  are  held  whenever  it  seems 
probable  that  useful  information  can  be  obtained  in  this  w^ay. 

The  Board  has  not  held  it  to  be  a  part  of  its  functions  to 
prepare  original  plans,  and  has  carefully  avoided  any  inter- 
ference with  the  work  properly  belonging  to  the  engineers 
employed  ])y  the  parties  making  application. 

The  responsibilities  in  carrying  out  the  provisions  of  this 
Act  are,  as  will  be  seen  by  the  above  statement,  no  less  than 
those  of  the  parties  directly  interested,  nor  can  they  be 
properly  performed  except  after  mature  consideration,  with 
the  advice  of  thoroughly  educated  experts. 

Water  Supply. 

The  application  of  the  Boston  Water  Board  in  l^ehalf  of 

the  cities  of  Boston,  Chelsea  and  Somerville  and  the  town 

of  Everett,  in  regard  to  taking  the   Shawsheen  Eiver  as  a 

source  of  supply  for  these  communities,  was  presented  to  the 


4  WATER   SUPPLY  AND   SEWERAGE.       [Jan. 

Board  of  Health  on  the  19th  of  January,  and  occupied  the 
attention  of  the  Board  and  nearly  all  the  time  of  its  engineer 
and  assistants  for  more  than  two  months,  with  careful  re- 
vision by  its  consulting  engineer.  The  fundamental  ques- 
tions of  the  probable  growth  and  future  needs  of  these 
communities  were  thoroughly  investigated,  and  with  the 
cordial  co-operation  of  the  Water  Board  of  Boston,. through 
their  engineers,  in  supplying  data  in  their  possession,  the 
quantity  of  water  that  can  be  depended  upon  from  the 
present  sources  of  suppl}^  of  the  city  of  Boston  was  ascer- 
tained fi"om  their  latest  surveys  and  complete  records  ;  and 
the  comparative  cost  of  future  maintenance  of  the  supply 
to  these  communities  from  the  different  sources  was  deter- 
mined. It  was  concluded  by  the  Board  of  Health  that  it 
was  not  only  for  the  interest  of  all  pai-ties  holding  property 
within  the  valley  of  the  Shawsheen  River,  but  also  largely 
for  the  interest  of  the  cit}^  of  Boston  and  the  communities 
associated  in  her  application,  that  the  present  sources  of 
supply  controlled  by  the  city  of  Boston  were  and  would  be 
for  many  years  the  most  appropriate  source  of  supply  for 
these  communities,  and  on  the  6th  of  April  the  following 
communication  was  made  to  the  Boston  Water  Board  :  — 

State  Boakd  of  Health,  13  Beacox  Stkeet, 
BosTox,  April  6,  1887. 

Col.  Horace  T.  Rockwell,^ CAa»v«aH  of  the  Boston  Water  Board. 

Dear  Sir  :  —  The  State  Board  of  Health  has  had  in  careful 
consideratiou  the  scheme  of  taking  water  from  the  Shawsheen 
River  for  the  use  of  the  cities  of  Boston,  Chelsea  and  Somer\dlle, 
and  the  town  of  Everett,  which  you,  in  their  behalf,  presented  on 
the  IDth  of  January  in  accordance  with  chapter  274  of  the  Acts  of 
1886. 

The  purpose  of  this  Act  bearing  upon  the  proposed  scheme  is, 
that  this  Board  shall  consult  with  and  advise  yoxx  whether  this  is 
the  most  appropriate  source  of  supply,  having  regard  to  the  inter- 
ests of  all  who  may  be  affected  thereby. 

In  considering  this  question  we  have  made  a  careful  investiga- 
tion of  the  present  and  future  needs  of  the  communities  which  you 
represent,  and  the  amount  of  water  wliich  can  be  depended  upon 
from  the  sources  of  supply  which  have  by  the  State  been  put  under 
your  control. 

The  conclusions  already  reached,  differing  in  some  respects  from 


1888.] 


SENATE  — No.  4. 


those  presented  by  you,  have  so  important  a  bearing  upon  the 
general  consideration  of  the  subject  that  we  now  present  them  as 
the  basis  for  fui-ther  consideration. 

From  a  careful  study  of  the  experience  of  Boston  and  other 
places  made  by  our  chief  engineer  (the  details  of  which  upon  this 
point  or  upon  others  which  may  arise  he  will,  if  you  desire,  explain 
to  you  or  to  your  engineer),  he  reaches  the  conclusions,  which  we 
regard  reasonable  and  well  founded,  that  with  careful  and  business- 
like restriction  of  Avaste  the  consumption  of  water  withiu  the  dis- 
trict supplied  by  Boston  in  1895  may  be  reduced  to  66  gallons  per 
inhabitant ;  and  to  provide  for  the  increasing  yearly  use  for  the 
next  forty  years  four-tenths  of  a  gallon  per  year  should  be  added 
to  6Q  gallons  for  the  quantity  to  be  supplied  for  each  succeeding 
year,  making  the  estimated  consumption  of  water  per  inhabitant 
in  this  district  as  follows  :  — 


1895, 

66  gals,  per  inhabitant 

1900, 

68    " 

1905, 

70     " 

1910, 

72     " 

1915, 

74     ''■ 

1920, 

76     " 

1925, 

78     " 

1930, 

80     " 

The  population  of  the  district  now  supplied  with  water  from  the 
Boston  Works  has  been  as  follows  since  1840  :  — 


YEAR. 

•- 

Population. 

Increase  in  Five 
Years. 

1840, 

122,646 

- 

1845, 

157,836 

35,190 

1850, 

193,027 

35,191 

1855, 

232,663 

39,636 

1860, 

268,916 

36,253 

1865, 

292,382 

23,466 

1870, 

327,951 

35,569 

1875, 

388,175 

60,224 

1880, 

413,713 

25,538 

1885, 

451,898 

38,185 

WATER   SUPPLY   AND   SEWERAGE.        [Jan. 


From  a  careful  stud}^  of  the  growth  of  the  whole  district  and  of 
its  several  parts,  we  find  it  reasonable  to  conclude  that  the  future 
growth  will  be  nearly  as  follows  :  — 


YEAR. 

Population. 

Increase  in  Five 
Years. 

1890, 

493,100 

41,202 

1895, 

534,900 

41,800 

1900, 

577,300 

■'  42,400 

1905, 

620,300 

43,000 

1910, 

663,800 

43,500 

1915, 

707,900 

44,100 

1920, 

752,600 

44,700 

1925, 

797,900 

45,300 

1930, 

843,800 

45,900 

The  sources  of  supply  now  used  for  this  district  are  Cochituate 
Lake,  Sudbury  River  and  Mystic  Lake.  The  latter  drains  an  area 
which  has  a  population  of  about  800  per  square  mile.  The  amount 
and  present  rapid  increase  of  this  population,  together  with  the 
character  of  the  refuse  from  many  manufacturing  establishments, 
indicates  the  probable  necessity  of  the  future  abandonment  of  this 
source  of  suppl}^,  and  w^e  confine  our  consideration  to  the  Cochituate 
Lake  and  Sudbury  River  sources.  The  quantity  of  water  which 
can  be  depended  upon  from  these  two  sources,  when  all  of  the 
storage  basins  which  the  city  of  Boston  proposes  to  build  are  com- 
pleted, has  been  the  subject  of  careful  study  by  our  engineer, 
based  upon  the  quantity  that  was  derivable  in  the  series  of  years 
1880  to  188.3,  when  the  yield  of  the  streams  was  very  much  lower 
than  ever  before  known,  with  the  results  of  a  net  daily  yield  from 
these  sources  of  56,000,000  gallons  during  the  driest  year. 

From  this  quantity  there  is  to  be  deducted  1,500,000  gallons, 
w^hich  the  law  requires  should  be  allowed  to  run  down  the  river 
daily  ;  2,700,000  gallons  daily  which  the  towns  upon  the  Sudbury 
and  Cochituate  watersheds  will,  it  is  estimated,  have  the  right  to 
draw  from  these  sources,  and  deducting  also  1,800,000  gallons  for 
unforeseen  contingencies,  we  have  50,000,000  gallons  available 
daily,  during  the  driest  year,  for  the  use  of  the  city  of  Boston. 
This  quantity  will  be  sufficient  to  supply  the  estimated  population 


1888.]  SENATE  — Xo.  4.  7 

of  Boston,  Chelsea,  Somerville  and  Everett  with  72.8  gallons  per 
inhabitant  until  li)12,  and  will  supply  tlie  estimated  population  of 
the  present  territory  of  the  city  of  Boston  with  80  gallons  per  day 
per  inhabitant  until  192.5.  Having  reached  these  results  from  a 
careful  consideration  of  the  actual  existing  conditions,  this  Board 
is  constrained  to  advise  that  the  most  appropriate  source  of  supply 
for  a  term  of  years  for  the  district  which  you  rejiresent  is  the 
territory  already  under  the  control  of  the  city  of  Boston  in  the 
Cochituate  and  Sudbury  River  areas.  If  these,  our  conclusions, 
are  borne  out  by  the  experience  of  Boston,  Chelsea,  Somerville 
and  Everett,  although  the  ^fystic  be  abandoned,  the  city  of  Boston 
can  from  the  other  sources  under  its  control  supply  these  commu- 
nities, and  need  not,  for  quantity  of  water,  seek  a  new  source 
for  fifteen  years  at  least,  and  then  there  will  be  ten  years  for 
coustnictiou  of  works  before  the  additional  quantity  will  be 
needed. 

We  would  add  that,  from  such  examination  as  we  liave  been 
al)le  to  make,  pecuniary  considerations  are  in  the  opinion  of  the 
Board  largely  in  favor  of  the  development  of  the  Cochituate  and 
Sudbury  Iviver  sources  to  their  full  extent  before  introducing  a 
new  source.  By  order  of  the  Board, 

Samuel  W.  Abbott,  Secretary. 

Bradford. — The  selectmen  of  Bradford,  by  letter  dated 
Feb.  2,  1887,  asked  the  advice  of  this  Board  with  reference 
to  two  ponds  which  they  thought  might  l)e  suitable  as  a 
source  of  Avater  supply.  These  were  Johnson's  Pond  in  the 
towns  of  Groveland  and  Boxford,  and  Mitchell's,  or  Hovey's 
Pond,  in  the  latter  town.  The  ponds  Avere  examined  by 
our  engineer  and  samples  of  their  waters  were  taken  for 
analysis  ;  but  the  time  of  taking  the  samples  being  that  of 
higli  Avater  from  spring  rains  they  were  not  regarded  as 
conclusive.     The  Board  replied  on  ]\Iarch  2  that  — 

While  no  evidence  is  presented  by  such  examinations  that  the 
qualit}^  of  the  water,  either  of  Johnson's  or  of  Mitchell's  ponds,  is 
at  this  time  objectionable,  the  Board  is  unable  without  further 
examination,  which  would  extend  until  after  your  March  town 
meeting,  to  give  a  definite  judgment  as  to  the  appropriateness  of 
these  ponds  for  your  water  supply. 

Raxdolph  axd  Holbrook.  —  The  joint  boards  of  Water 
Commissioners  of  these  towns,  on  the  23d  of  February,  sub- 


8  WATER   SUPPLY   AND    SEWERAGE.       [Jan. 

mitted  their  plans  for  taking  the  water  of  Great  Pond,  lying 
partly  in  Randolph  and  partly  in  Braintree,  for  a  joint 
water  supply.  It  was  proposed  to  pump  the  water  into 
iron  water  towers,  one  to  be  situated  in  each  of  the  towns 
to  be  supplied. 

After  carefully  examining  the  surrounding  country  to  see 
if  some  of  the  objections  to  this  source  could  not  be  avoided, 
the  following  advice  was  given  :  — 

The  State  Board  of  Health  has  by  its  engineers  examined  the 
available  sources  of  water  supplj'^  for  the  towns  of  Randolph  and 
Holbrook,  and  considering  theu'  present  population  and  probable 
growth  has  been  unable  to  find  a  more  appropriate  source  of  supply 
than  the  proposed  source, — Great  Pond  in  Randolph  and  Brain- 
tree.  This  source  has,  however,  unfavorable  characteristics  which 
demand  attention.  Upon  its  watershed  live  about  one  quarter  of 
the  inhabitants  of  Randolph,  nearly  1,000  people,  whose  sewage 
should  be  kept  out  of  the  pond.  From  about  one-half  of  these 
houses  the  sewage  can  at  reasonable  expense  be  turned  into  the 
watershed  in  the  south-easterly  part  of  the  town  and  be  disposed 
of  with  the  sewage  from  that  quarter.  The  remaining  sewage  in 
the  drainage  area  of  the  pond  should  be  effectually  filtered,  or 
otherwise  purified,  so  that  it  will  not  be  detrimental  to  health  before 
being  turned  into  the  pond  or  into  any  of  its  tributaries. 

Andover.  —  The  committee  on  water  supply  of  this 
town  notified  the  Board  that  a  petition  had  been  presented 
to  the  Legislature  of  1886  for  authority  to  take  a  water 
supply  from  any  source  within  the  limits  of  the  town,  and 
that  the  petition  had  been  referred,  l>y  that  body,  to  the 
Legislature  of  1887,  where  it  was  then  pending.  The  large 
number  of  cases  relating  to  water  supply  and  sewerage  having 
precedence  of  this  one  prevented  its  consideration  until  the 
action  of  the  Legislature,  in  granting  the  petition,  made  it 
unnecessary  for  this  Board  to  act  until  the  quest-ion  should 
come  to  them  in  more  definite  form. 

Ayi-:!!. — The  Water  Commissioners  of  this  town,  June 
20,  1887,  asked  the  advice  of  this  Board  as  to  two 
proposed  sources  of  water  supply.  They  also  asked  if 
subfiotl  waters  had  been  found  more  satisfactory  throughout 
the  State  than  jjond  waters.     The  sources  submitted  were 


1888.]  SENATE  — Xo.  4.  9 

,Sandy  Pond,  .said  to  have  an  area  of  alxnit  seventy-live 
aeres,  and  a  proposed  well  near  a  niill-pond.  The  advice 
contained  in  the  reply  of  the  Board,  given  below,  with  re- 
gard to  storing  waters  colJecfed  from  the  (/round  in  dark, 
covered  reservoirs,  was  l)ased  largely  upon  the  experience  of 
cities  and  towns  in  this  State,  which  was  at  that  time  ])eing 
gathered  in  connection  with  the  svstcniatic  examination  of 
all  of  the  public  water  supplies.  Further  returns  received, 
and  the  result  of  chemical  and  biological  examinations  since 
made,  emphasize  the  need  of  following  this  advice  :  — 

In  response  to  your  request  to  know  whether  subsoil  waters 
have  been  found  more  satisfactory  than  pond  waters  we  give  you 
a  summary  of  results  reported  to  the  Board  up  to  the  present. 
Of  seven  places  which  collect  ground  water  and  store  it  in  open 
earthen  and  masoniy  reservoirs,  three  report  trouble,  and  four 
report  no  trouble.  Of  fourteen  places  so  collecting  and  pumping 
into  iron  or  masonry  tanks,  some  of  them  covered,  two  report 
trouble,  one  which  shows  by  analysis  to  be  poor  before  being 
stored,  and  twelve  places  report  no  trouble.  The  surface  water 
supplies,  including  both  ponds  and  storage  reservoirs,  have  given 
more  trouble  east  of  the  Connecticut  River  than  west  of  it  in  the 
mountainous  region.  Up  to  the  present  time  the  ground  water 
supplies  have  given  less  trouble  than  surface  water  supplies,  and 
the  ground  water  supplies  are  far  more  satisfactory  when  nsed 
directly  after  being  drawn  or  with  as  little  storage  as  practicable. 

The  samples  of  water  submitted  from  both  of  the  sources  of 
supply  are  of  satisfactory  qualit}' ;  that  from  the  flowing  well  is 
unusually  satisfactor^^  The  information  furnished  is  not  suffi- 
cient for  determining  whether  a  sufficient  quantity  can  be  obtained 
from  the  proposed  wells  or  not.  If  assured  of  the  necessary 
quantity  the  Board  would  advise  adopting  the  supply  from  wells, 
and  to  avoid  deterioration  when  stored  in  open  reservou's  such 
water  as  cannot  be  conveyed  directly  from  the  wells  to  the  con- 
sumers should  be  stored  in  a  dark,  covered  reservoir,  made  as  small 
as  practicable.  A  second  and  larger  reservoir  may  be  necessary 
as  a  resource  in  case  of  fire  or  other  emergency. 

Belmont. — The  Water  Commissioners,  on  the  28th  of 
June,  1887,  gave  notice  of  their  intention  to  take  water 
from  the  Waterto^vn  AVater  Supply  Company.  The  pro- 
posed source  being  an  established  water  supply  which  had 


10  AVATEK   SUPPLY   AND    SEWEPAGE.        [Jan. 

been  examined  by  the  Board  and  found  of  suitable  quality, 
notice  to  this  effect  Avas  sent  to  the  Commissioners. 

NouTii  Eastox.  —  The  Board  of  Water  Commissioners  in 
July  sul)mitted  outlines  of  i)roposed  plans  of  water  supply 
for  the  village  of  North  Easton.  It  Avas  proposed  to  collect 
a  supply  of  ground  water  from  a  well  to  lie  sunk  in  a  meadow 
not  far  from  one  of  the  mill-ponds  on  the  Queset  Piver. 

The  matter  was  examined  and  the  source  which  they  had 
selected  approved,  with  the  further  advice  that  in  case  of 
insufficient  quantity  an  additional  supply  should  be  sought 
from  underground  sources  and  connected  Avith  the  proposed 
system  without  exposure  to  light. 

Maynard. — In  the  application  presented  to  this  Board, 
August  15,  1887,  by  the  committee  on  water  supply  of  the 
town  of  Majaiard,  the  statement  is  made  that  the  committee 
are  authorized  to  investigate  the  question  of  water  supply 
for  the  town,  and  to  petition  the  Legislature,  to  be  convened 
in  1888,  for  permission  to  take  the  waters  of  AVhite  Pond, 
situated  in  the  toA\ns  of  Hudson  and  StoAv  aliout  two  and 
one-half  miles  south-west  of  the  site  of  a  proposed  iiumping 
station  in  the  town  of  Maynard.  The  committee  asked  the 
adVice  of  this  Boaixl  as  to  the  most  a})propriate  source  of 
sup})ly  for  the  town,  and  particularly  as  to  the  source 
selected  by  them.  This  source  has  been  examined  by  our 
chief  engineer,  and  an  analysis  of  the  water  has  been  made. 
The  sufficiency  of  the  supply  as  regards  (juantity  is  not  so 
obvious  that  it  can  be  determined  from  such  examinations 
as  we  think  it  practicable  for  our  engineer  to  make,  and  the 
connnittee  have  been  asked  to  employ  an  engineer  to  make 
sui-veys  and  far)iish  more  definite  iirfbrmation  upon  this 
point. 

Needham. — The  water  committee  of  this  town  asked  the 
advice  of  the  lioard  in  regard  to  two  sources  for  the  supply 
of  ground  water,  which  they  had  been  investigating.  The 
Board  advised  that  the  danger  of  pollution  Avithin  the 
Rosemary  Valley  was  so  great  that  this  source  should  be 
rejected  ;  also,  for  the   same   reason,   water  .should   not  be 


1888.]  SENATE  — No.  4.  11 

taken  from   that  ])()rtioii   of  the  valley  containing"  Colburn 
spring',  west  of  Dedliani  Avenue. 

The  area  ea.st  of  Dedhain  Avenue  appears  suital)le  at 
preseiit,  hut  may  not  contimie  of  satisfactory  quality  with 
the  growth  of  the  town,  and  the  Board  advised  further  ex- 
amination for  a  filter  gallery  on  the  bank  of  Charles  River, 
to  be  used  in  connection  with  this  supply  or  distinct  from  it. 

AxiroL. — In  the  application  presented  to  this  Board  by 
comnumication  dated  Nov.  18,  1887,  the  statement  is  made 
that  the  town  has  voted  to  petition  the  next  Legislature  for 
the  right  to  take  water,  for  domestic  and  other  purposes, 
from  Phillipston  Pond  in  the  town  of  Phillipston. 

The  committee  of  the  town  of  Athol  who  have  this  matter  in 
charge  ask  the  opinion  of  this  Board  as  to  whether  this  pond 
will  furnish  a  sufficient  quantity  of  water  of  good  quality  to 
supply  the  town  in  years  to  come.  The  proposed  source 
and  others  in  the  vicinity  of  Athol  have  been  examined  by 
our  engineer  and  the  matter  is  now  under  advisement. 

Mansfield. — The  Board  of  Water  Commissioners  of 
the  Mansfield  Water  Supply  District  on  the  12th  of  Decem- 
ber, 1887,  gave  notice  to  this  Board  of  their  intention  to  intro- 
duce a  system  of  water  supply,  and  submitted  outlines  of 
their  proposed  plans.  The  investigations  in  this  case  have 
not  vet  been  made. 


Advice  in  Regard  to  Disposal  of  Sewage. 

Taunton.  —  On  Dec.  18,  1886,  the  Sewerage  Commission 
of  this  city  submitted  a  report  containing  their  conclusions 
as  to  the  best  method  of  disposing  of  the  sewage  of  the 
city. 

Briefly  stated,  they  report  that  Mill  River,  which  at  pres- 
ent receives  the  sewage  of  the  city  and  the  drainage  from 
gas  works,  etc.,  is  at  times  offensive,  and  that,  to  prevent 
offence,  it  is  desirable  to  straighten  and  wall  the  stream,  to 
make  the  bottom  concave,  to  remove  the  lower  dams,  and 
to  obtain  the  control  of  the  water  of  one  or  more  mill  privi- 
leges for  the  purpose  of  flushing  ;  with  these  things  carried 


12  WATER    SUPPLY   AND    SEWERAGE.        [Jan. 

out,  tliey  believe  the  river  can  cany  the  sewage  of  the  city 
for  a  long  time  to  come. 

On  Feb.  4,  1887,  the  Board  sent  the  following  reply  :  — 

That  from  the  reports  of  its  engiueers  of  the  results  of  their 
examinatiou  of  the  ground  which  was  visited  in  company  Avith 
the  Sewage  Commission  of  the  city,  this  Board  does  not  ap- 
prove of  the  proposed  system  of  sewage  disposal  for  the  city  of 
Taunton. 

MiLFORD.  —  The  town  of  Milfoixl,  through  their  engineer, 
Mr.  Ernest  W.  Bowditch,  submitted  plans  for  the  disposal 
of  the  sewage  of  the  town  by  filtration  through  land,  the 
effluent  from  the  filter  beds  to  go  into  the  Charles  River. 
Mr.  Bowditch  appeared  l^efore  a  committee  of  the  Board 
and  explained  the  proposed  scheme.  After  due  considera- 
tion the  Board  replied  that  — 

In  their  opinion  it  is  not  desirable  to  locate  a  filtration  ground 
on  the  banks  of  a  stream  which  supplies  water  for  domestic  use, 
and  as  JNIilford  is  upon  such  a  stream,  but  also  adjacent  to  a 
drainage  area  not  so  used,  the  Board  suggests  that  examination 
be  made  to  determine  whether  a  suitable  filtration  ground  may  not 
be  found  in  the  drainage  area  not  used  for  a  domestic  water  sup- 
pi}'.  If,  however,  the  filtration  ground  must  be  located  in  the 
drainage  area  used  for  a  domestic  water  supply,  it  is  regarded  as 
undesirable  to  have  its  effluent  discharge  directly  into  the  river, 
and  preferable  to  select  a  ground  which  is  distant  from  the  river, 
that  anj'  effluent  from  the  ground  not  properly  filtered  may  be 
recognized,  and  prevented  from  entering  the  river. 

Ware. — The  Road  Commissioners  submitted  to  the 
Board,  March  19,  1887,  two  plans  made  by  different  engi 
neers  for  the  sewerage  of  the  town.  Both  plans  proposed 
to  discharge  the  sewage  into  the  Ware  River.  The  Board 
advised  the  town  to  have  plans  pre})ared  for  a  system  of 
sewerage  providing  for  the  separate  removal  of  sewage  and 
storm-water,  and  to  have  the  cost  estimated  for  comparison 
with  the  cost  of  the  system  proposed  by  the  present  plans. 

In  the  latter  part  of  July  an  outline  of  a  proposed  system 
of  sewerage,  in  which  storm-water  and  sewage  are  to  be  kept 
separate,  was  submitted  to  the  Board.     After  giving  a  hear- 


1888.]  SENATE  — No.  4.  13 

ing  to  the  town  and  to  others  interested,  the  Board  gave  the 
following  advice  :  — 

The  State  Board  of  Health  havhig  given  a  hearing  to  the  town 
of  Ware  and  others  interested  in  the  disposal  of  its  sewage,  and 
having  considered  the  plan  of  sewerage  presented,  renew  their 
recommendation  that  the  separate  system  of  sewerage  be  adopted 
in  order  that,  shonld  it  prove  necessary  in  the  fntnre  to  purify 
the  sewage  before  turning  it  into  the  river,  it  can  be  done  with 
reasonable  expense. 

With  such  system,  and  the  understanding  that  the  turning  of 
crude  sewage  into  the  river  may  in  time  prove  detrimental  to  the 
needs  and  interests  of  this  or  other  communities,  and  it  will  then 
be  otherwise  disposed  of,  the  Board  approves  of  the  general 
method  of  disposal  presented. 

In  regard  to  advice  asked  upon  details  of  the  system  to  be 
adopted,  the  Board  finds  the  plan  presented  so  incomplete  that  it 
cannot  serve  as  a  basis  for  such  advice. 

The  economy  and  efficiency  of  a  separate  system  of  sewerage 
depend  so  much  upon  the  proportion  of  parts  to  the  work  required 
of  them,  and  the  design  and  arrangement  of  details,  that*  much 
more  study  should  be  expended  upon  these  subjects  than  the 
present  plans  indicate. 

The  plans  should  comprise  a  general  plan,  with  drainage  dis- 
tricts shown  upon  it,  profiles  of  each  street  showing  sewers  with 
sizes  and  grades,  and  the  locations  of  all  cellars  in  the  business 
portions,  or  in  other  places  where  they  may  be  difficult  to  drain. 
The  plans  and  profiles  should  also  show  the  location  of  manholes 
and  flushing  chambers.  Details  should  be  made  showing  designs 
of  brick  sewers,  manholes,  flushing  chambers,  catch  basins,  etc., 
and  of  the  river  outlets  and  works  to  protect  them. 

A  report  should  be  made  by  the  engineer,  describing  the  system 
and  how  it  is  to  be  operated,  and  giving  the  estimated  cost  of  the 
whole  sj'stem,  and  of  such  a  portion  of  it  as  would  be  desirable  to 
bttjld  at  first. 

Upon  receiving  such  plans  the  officers  of  the  Board  will  exam- 
ine and  advise  if  any  changes  are  desirable. 

State  Normal  School  at  Westfield. — The  follow- 
ing letter  contains  a  statement  of  the  condition  of  the  drain- 
age at  the  State  Normal  School  at  Westtield,  indicated  in 
the  application  of  the  Committee  on  Education  of  the  Legis- 
lature, together  with  the  advice  of  the  Board  relative  to  the 
same :  — 


14         AVATER   SUPPLY   AND    SEWERAGE.        [Jan. 

To  the  Chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Education. 

Dear  Sir:  —  The  State  Board  of  Health  received  from  Mr. 
Foote,  the  secretary  of  the  committee  on  education,  a  plan  of  a 
proposed  sewer  in  School  Street,  Westfield,  — with  the  proposed  Act, 
House  Document  No.  195, — with  the  request  from  said  committee 
that  the  State  Board  of  Health  would  examine  and  report  to  the 
committee  if  the  plan  proposed  be  the  best  method  of  relieving  the 
State  Normal  School  and  Boarding  Hall  of  the  ill  effects  which 
they  experience  from  the  present  condition  of  drainage  in  their 
vicinity.  The  method  proposed  is  to  build  a  two  feet  b}^  three 
feet  brick  sewer  through  School  Street,  from  where  the  town 
brook  crosses  this  street  to  the  south  side,  to  where  it  re-crosses  to 
the  north  side,  a  distance  of  some  700  feet,  turn  the  brook  through 
this  sewer  and  cut  off  all^that  part  of  the  brook  which  lies  south  of 
School  Street,  and  then  drain  the  State  buildings  into  the  sewer. 
The  most  important  objects  affecting  the  State  property  being  to 
remove  the  unwholesome  brook  with  open  walls,  now  used  as  a 
sewer,  which  runs  directly  under  the  cellar  of  the  Normal  School 
Boardijag  Hall  and  to  drain  the  two  State  buildings.  The  State 
Board  of  Health  has  examined  this  matter  by  its  committees  and 
by  its  engineer,  and  while  other  plans  for  accomplishing  the  desired 
result  fit  the  State  buildings,  sucli  as  replacing  the  open  walls  of 
the  brook  through  the  lot  of  the  Boarding  Hall  by  a  thirty  inch 
iron  pipe  with  tight  joints  and  a  sufficient  pipe  sewer  from  the 
school  building  down  School  Street  to  the  brook,  have  presented 
some  advantages  over  the  one  proposed  in  the  bill,  the  Board 
has  upon  further  consideration  been  obliged  to  conclude  that  neither 
of  these  methods  presents  an  adequate  or  permament  relief  to  the 
State  buildings  and  the  territory  adjacent  and  along  the  valley  of 
this  brook.  This  brook  extends  for  a  third  of  a  mile  below  the 
proposed  sewer  as  a  sluggish  ditch  winding  through  barnyards, 
and  under  buildings,  much  obstructed  by  sewage  debris,  the  flow 
from  adjacent  privies  and  from  street  and  yard  surfaces,  and  is  the 
general  receptacle  of  anything  which  people  wish  to  get  rid  of  ; 
the  walls  are  falling  in  and  are  being  crowded  nearer  together  by 
frost ;  the  bottom  is  filled  witli  one  foot  or  more  of  decaying 
material  which  upon  being  stirred  sends  up  foul  gases.  It  will  be 
evident  upon  consideration  that  a  sewer  seven  hundred  feet  long, 
replacing  eiglit  or  nine  hundred  feet  in  lengtli  of  such  a  brook,  in 
which  distance  the  fall  in  the  brook  is  about  one  foot,  will  nut  in 
its  middle  section  reduce  to  an  appreciable  extent  the  level  ^of 
water  standing  in  the  ground  adjacent,  and  in  time  of  heavy  rain 
upon   the  ;314   acres   drained   by  this   brook    above   Washington 


1888.]  SENATE  — No.  4.  15 

Street  the  cellars  which  have  been  flooded  by  t|jis  brook  are  still  to 
be  flooded  ;  and  the  small  culverts  up  the  stream  which  now  hold 
this  water  l)ack  in  ponds  after  heavy  rains  will  naturally  be  enlarged 
from  time  to  time,  bringing  the  water  down  the  valley  after  a  rain 
more  freely  and  causing  increased  flooding  of  cellars. 

The  large  drainage  area  of  314  acres  (nearly  one-half  a  square 
mile)  above  Washington  Street  cannot,  in  such  rains  as  we  have 
had  and  are  liable  to  have  every  few  years,  be  drained  by  a  sewer 
two  feet  by  three  feet,  nor  by  a  brook  like  Town  Brook,  without 
overflowing  its  banks.  It  is  as  impossible  as  it  was  in  1878  for 
the  Westfield  River  with  its  drainage  area  of  3.50  square  miles  to 
discharge  its  53,000  cubic  feet  of  water  per  second  by  its  river 
channel  without  overflowing  its  banks.  To  prevent  such  an  over- 
flow the  people  of  Westfield  have  enlarged  the  opening  at  this  dam 
and  increased  the  area  of  the  river  channel  by  building  a  long  and 
high  dike.  At  Town  Brook  the  same  principles  must  be  employed 
by  a  different  method.  The  sewer  must  be  made  larger,  be  placed 
at  a  lower  level  and  discharged  farther  down  the  valley. 

A  thirty-inch  pipe  with  lead  joints  could  be  put  in  place  of  the 
stoned  brook  through  the  premises  of  the  Boarding  Hall,  and  the 
Normal  School  be  drained  down  School  Street  to  the  brook  for 
about  half  the  cost  of  the  sewer  proposed  by  the  bill  in  School 
Street,  and  the  buildings  be  as  well  provided  as  with  that  sewer  ; 
but  neither  plan  will  in  the  opinion  of  this  Board  give  adequate 
and  permament  relief.  Such  relief  can  be  obtained  by  building  a 
sewer  four  feet  in  diameter  from  where  the  brook  first  crosses 
School  Street,  west  from  the  Boarding  Hall,  at  a  lower  level,  in 
which  water  will  have  its  surface  in  the  different  stages,  three  feet 
lower  than  at  present.  This  sewer  should  be  continued  down 
School  Street  to  Elm  Street,  across  Elm  and  down  Main  Street  to 
the  brook  at  the  Riding  Park.  Here  the  sewage  and  brook  water 
could  be  turned  into  Town  Brook  for  the  present,  but  if  the  water  now 
coming  from  the  canal  be  cut  off,  or  if,  in  future,  a  large  amount 
of  sewage  be  brought  down  this  main  sewer  in  Main  Street,  it 
would  be  necessary  then  to  have  at  the  Riding  Park  an  overfall 
to  discharge  storm  water  directly  into  Town  Brook  and  continue  a 
smaller  sewer,  about  two  feet  in  diameter,  large  enough  to  convey 
the  ordinary  sewage  dowii  Main  Street  to  the  river. 

The  town  of  "Westfield  had  an  investigation  made  fourteea 
years  ago  and  a  plan  proposed  for  main  sewers  in  Elm  Street  and 
in  Main  Street.  The  School  Street  district  by  that  plan  was  to 
di-ain  through  the  northern  part  of  Elm  Street  to  the  river  a  little 
below  the  dam  ;  but  there  is  to  this  plan  this  serious  objection^ 
which  has  been  brought  to   notice  since  the   plan  was  proposed^ 


16  WATER   SUPPLY   AND    SEWERAGE.       [Jan. 

The  water  below  the  dam,  near  the  outlet  then  proposed,  stood  in 
the  great  freshet  of  1878  at  the  height  of  87.8  feet,  and  should 
such  a  freshet  again  come  the  water  here  would  flow  back  through 
the  sewer  into  the  cellars  of  a  large  section  of  the  town,  including 
those  of  School  Street ;  but  at  the  outlet  now  proposed  near  the 
Riding  Park  the  water  of  the  great  freshet  stood  at  the  height  of 
82.7  feet  or  five  feet  lower  than  below  the  dam,  and  would  conse- 
quently flow  back  to  so  much  less  height  in  cellars  ;  and  farther, 
the  increased  fall  in  the  shorter  distance  enables  this  main  sewer 
to  be  much  smaller  than  an  equalh'  efficient  one  would  be,  dis- 
charging near  the  dam. 

The  engineer  of  the  Board  has  made  an  estimate  of  the  cost 
of  such  a  sewer,  which  is  upon  a  more  liberal  basis  than  the 
estimates  made  for  the  town  fourteen  j-ears  ago  and  is  intended 
to  cover  fully  all  that  it  would  cost  to  build  the  sewer  at  this  time, 
provided  no  ledge  be  encountered.  This  estimate  for  the  sewer 
four  feet  in  diameter,  with  its  manholes  and  entrances  from 
where  the  Town  Brook  first  reaches  School  Street  west  of  the 
Boarding  Hall  to  the  Town  Brook  at  the.  Riding  Park,  amounts  to 
$32,000. 

It  is  the  opinion  of  the  Board  that  such  a  sewer,  shown  upon 
the  accompanying  plans,  should  be  built  by  the  town  of  Westfield 
for  the  preservation  of  the  health  of  its  residents  ;  and  it  would  in 
the  judgment  of  the  Board  be  much  better  for  the  State  to  pay  the 
town  a  liberal  assessment  towards  the  building  of  such  a  sewer 
with  a  branch  along  Washington  Street  to  the  Boarding  Hall  than 
for  the  State  to  spend  the  amount  proposed  in  accordance  with  Bill 
No.  195,  with  the  ine%dtable  result  of  neither  adequate  nor  perma- 
nent relief.  The  principal  of  the  school  very  properly  objects 
to  delay  in  remo\'ing  the  brook  from  under  the  Boarding  Hall, 
on  account  of  injury  to  the  inmates  and  the  knowledge  of  probable 
injury  deterring  others  from  coming  to  the  school.  This  may  be 
overcome  during  the  necessar}'  time  of  construction  of  the  sewer 
by  leaving  two  cellar  windows  open  and  from  an  opposite  quarter 
of  the  cellar,  putting  up  a  wooden  flue  18  inches  square  against  the 
outside  of  the  house,  connecting  it  freel}^  with  the  upper  air  in  the 
cellar  and  producing  in  it  an  artificial  draught  by  means  of  a  fan 
or  by  a  group  of  burning  gas  jets  sufficieu|;  to  change  the  air  fre- 
quently in  the  whole  cellar. 

Westborough  Lunatic  Hospital.  —  On  the  8th  of 
April  the  trustees  of  the  ho?!!})ital  requested  the  Board, 
among  other  things,  to  examine  the  system  of  sewage  dis- 


1888.]  SENATE  — No.  4.  17 

posal  at  the  hospital  and  recommend  a  proper  disposal  of 
the  sewage. 

In  a  communication  to  the  trustees  dated  May  9th,  treat- 
ing principally  of  the  condition  of  the  buildings,  and  ad- 
vice in  regard  to  them,  the  Board  made  the  following 
statement  in  regard  to  disposal  of  their  sewage  : —  * 

The  present  method  of  disposal  of  sewage  after  leaving  the 
hospital  is  to  convey  it  across  the  main  road  to  the  orchard  and 
let  it  run  on  the  surface  down  the  hill  in  the  watershed  of  the 
Sudbury  River,  where  it  forms  a  small  contribution  to  the  water 
supply  of  the  cit}^  of  Boston.  This  method  of  disposal  cannot,  of 
course,  be  allowed  to  continue. 

There  is  in  this  field  perhaps  fifteen  acres,  so  situated  that  the 
sewage  could  be  applied  to  it  advantageously,  and  under  proper 
management  this  could  be  allowed  to  be  done  during  the  months 
of  rapid  growth  of  the  crops  ;  but  during  six  mouths  of  the  year, 
at  least,  the  sewage  should  be  withheld  from  this  area  and  taken 
in  an  iron  pipe  to  a  tract  of  land  over  the  brook  running  from 
Chauncy  Pond  to  Little  Chauncy  Pond,  the  drainage  from  which 
land  is  not  used  for  a  water  supply. 

The  details  of  the  arrangement  of  irrigating  ditches  on  these  two 
tracts  can  be  decided  after  surveys  are  made  giving  contour  lines 
at  every  foot  in  height,  and  locating  trees  and  other  obstacles  to 
ditching  to  be  avoided.  The  tract  of  land  over  the  brook,  owned 
by  the  hospital,  does  not  appear  from  an  examination  to  have  so 
many  natural  advantages  for  purifying  sewage  as  the  twenty-eight 
acre  tract  next  beyond,  which  we  were  told  could  be  bought  for  a 
moderate  price  ;  and  the  choice  would  be  determined  by  the  more 
detailed  examination  of  your  engineer  designing  the  arrangement 
of  your  irrigation  field. 

In  October,  1887,  the  trustees  of  the  hospital,  through 
their  engineer,  submitted  a  plan  proposing  a  subsoil  distri- 
bution of  the  sewage  upon  a  tract  of  land  on  the  side  hill, 
north  of  the  hospital  and  outside  of  the  watershed  of 
Sudbury  River,  so  that  the  effluent  would  not  run  into  any 
water  used  for  a  domestic  supply. 

The  engineer  of  the  trustees  appeared  before  a  committee 
of  the  Board  Nov.  3,  1887,  and  explained  the  nature  of  the 
ground  upon  which  he  proposed  to  dispose  of  the  sewage 

*  The  remainder  of  the  letter  relative  to  other  sanitary  conditions  at  the  Hospital 
may  be  found  in  the  General  Report.     (Public  Institutions.) 


18  WATER   SUPPLY   AND    SEWERAGE.        [Jan. 

of  the  hospital  and  the  general  features  of  the  plan.  From 
his  account  the  material  proved,  by  trial  pits,  to  be  so  much 
better  adapted  to  the  filtration  of  sewage  than  inspection  of 
its  surface  promised,  that  the  Board  advised  the  trustees 
that  it  saw  no  reason  to  doubt  that  the  sewage  of  the  hos- 
pital can  be  disposed  of  upon  that  tract  without  risk  to  the 
health  of  its  inmates  or  to  the  public.  The  details  of  the 
method  of  distribution  were  not  submitted,  and  the  Board 
consequently  expressed  no  opinion  upon  the  subject. 

Clinton.  — The  Board  of  Road  Commissioners  submitted 
a  plan  for  the  sewerage  of  the  town  to  this  Board  for  advice. 
It  was  proposed,  generally,  to  take  storm  water  and  sew- 
age together  in  the  same  sewers  to  an  intercepting  sewer  in 
the  valley  of  Coachlace  Brook.  This  sewer  was  intended 
to  carry  but  little  more  than  the  dry  weather  flow  of  sew- 
age, overflows  being  provided  for  the  discharge  of  all  ex- 
cess during  storms.  The  plan  provided  for  carrying  the 
sewage  to  the  bank  of  the  south  branch  of  the  Nashua 
River,  but  left  the  question  of  its  final  disposal  in  abey- 
ance. After  careful  examination  of  the  subject  b}^  its 
engineers,  and  giving  a  hearing  to  all  interested,  the  Board 
gave  the  following  advice  :  — 

The  State  Board  of  Health  has  by  its  engineers  examined  the 
question  presented  by  the  town  of  Clinton,  and  advises  that  the 
sewage  of  the  town  be  separated  from  its  storm  water,  and  that 
the  sewage  be  purified  either  by  intermittent  filtration  upon  land, 
or  by  chemical  precipitation,  or  by  a  combination  of  the  two  pro- 
cesses, before  being  turned  into  the  river. 

At  the  heiglit  proposed  for  the  outlet  of  the  main  sewer,  the 
sewage  for  nearly  the  whole  of  the  present  town  can  be  conveyed 
without  pumping  to  land  upon  which  it  may  be  purified  by  inter- 
mittent filtration  ;  and  if  the  town  grows  to  such  an  extent  that 
this  area  becomes  insufficient,  it  can  still  be  used  for  filtering  the 
night  sewage,  and  the  day  sewage  can  be  pumped  to  higher  land 
near,  which  appears  well  adapted  for  the  purpose.  The  height  of 
the  outlet  would  also  admit  of  clarification  of  the  sewage  by  chem- 
ical precipitation. 

The  town  should  have  the  matter  of  the  purification  of  its  sew- 
age carefully  examined,  and  plans  therefor,  by  the  best  method, 
prepared  by  an  engineer  competent  to  do  such  work. 


1888.]  SENATE  — No.  4.  19 

Any  data,  which  the  chief  engineer  of  the  Board  may  have, 
vrhich  will  be  of  service  to  the  town  in  such  investigation  will  be 
at  your  disposal. 

Brockton.  —  The  question  of  the  disposal  of  the  sewage 
of  this  city  was  brought  before  the  Board  in  February,  1887, 
while  the  petition  of  the  city  with  reference  to  the  same 
subject  was  pending  in  the  Legishiture.  A  bill  having  been 
there  framed,  which,  if  enacted,  required  subsequent  action 
by  this  Board  before  the  scheme  of  sewage  disposal  contem- 
plated could  be  carried  out,  the  city  authorities  did  not 
desire  further  action  at  that  time. 

In  July,  1887,  no  final  action  having  been  taken  by  the 
Legislature,  the  joint  standing  committee  on  sewerage  and 
drainage  of  the  city  of  Brockton  gave  further  notice  to  this 
Board  of  their  intention  to  introduce  a  system  of  sewerage, 
and  submitted  outlines  of  proposed  plans,  and  asked  the 
Board  to  consult  with  and  advise  them  as  to  the  best  prac- 
ticable method  of  disposing  of  their  sewage.  The  Board 
have  by  themselves  and  by  their  engineers,  with  the  assis- 
tance of  the  engineers  employed  by  the  city,  carefully 
investigated  the  difi'erent  plans  which  have  been  proposed, 
and  on  Oct.  31,  1887,  they  gave  a  hearing  at  Brockton  to 
all  parties  interested.  The  Board  to  the  present  time  has 
made  only  the  preliminary  report  given  below,  the  more 
detailed  report  being  delayed  that  the  Board  might  be 
guided  in  its  advice  by  the  experiments  on  the  disposal  of 
sewage  now  being  carried  on  by  them  at  the  Lawrence 
Experimental  Station. 

In  response  to  an  application  from  the  city  of  Brockton  to 
the  State  Board  of  Health  for  advice  as  to  the  best  practicable 
method  of  disposing  of  the  sewage  of  Brockton,  the  Board 
will  in  future  make  a  more  detailed  report,  but  for  your  imme- 
diate use  state  the  following  conclusions  :  that  the  method  of 
purification  by  intermittent  filtration  upon  land  is  best  adapted  to 
your  circumstances,  and  that  the  muster  field  area,  partly  in 
Brockton,  partly  in  Easton  and  partly  in  West  Bridgewater,  is 
the  best  adapted  for  a  filtration  area  for  the  purification  of  such 
sewage,  affording  abundant  area  for  the  future  growth  of  the 
city. 

The  Board  also  finds  that  the  part  of  this  ai'ea  within  the  city 


20  WATER   SUPPLY   AND    SEWERAGE.        [Jan. 

of  Brockton,  together  with  other  land  near  to,  and  easterly  there- 
from, which  is  not  so  favorable  for  the  same  purpose,  forms  an 
area  within  the  limits  of  the  city  which  for  several  years  will  be 
adequate  for  the  purification  of  the  sewage  of  Brockton. 

SouTHBRiDGE. — The  Special  committee  on  sewerage  of 
the  town  of  Southbridge,  in  July,  submitted  plans  for  the 
disposal  of  the  sewage  from  a  portion  of  the  town,  in  con- 
nection with  the  improvement  of  the  channel  of  a  polluted 
brook  passing  through  the  thickly  settled  part  of  the  main 
villao-e.  After  the  matter  had  been  investigated  and  a  hear- 
ino-  had  been  o-iven  to  those  interested  at  the  rooms  of  the 
Board,  the  following  reply  was  made  :  — 

The  Board  of  Health  is  not  prepared  to  advise  the  town  of 
Southbridge  to  dispose  of  its  sewage  in  the  way  proposed  by 
the  plans  presented.  It  may  not  be  many  years  before  the 
town  will  be  requned  to  purify  its  sewage  before  discharging  it 
into  the  river,  and  the  Board  advises  that  before  adopting  any 
plan  to  relieve  a  locality,  a  study  should  be  made  of  a  means  of 
conveying  the  sewage  proper  of  the  whole  town,  separate  from 
storm  water  or  ground  water,  to  a  place  where  it  can  be  pumped 
to  a  filtering  area  and  be  purified  before  being  turned  into  the 
river.  Such  study  and  plans  being  made,  it  will  then  be  for  the 
Board  to  decide  whether  the  sewage  may  temporarily  be  turned 
into  the  river. 

By  proceeding  in  this  way  the  Board  sees  that  much  expense  is 
likely  to  be  saved  by  the  town  in  redesigning  and  rebuilding 
works  uusuited  to  the  work  to  be  required  of  them. 

Such  information  as  may  have  been  obtained  by  the  State 
Board  of  Health  upon  the  subject  of  sewage  disposal  in  general, 
and  with  special  reference  to  the  conditions  existing  at  South- 
bridge,  will  be  placed  at  the  disposal  of  the  authorities  of  your 
town  at  the  office  of  the  Board. 

Athol. — The  sewerage  committee  of  Athol,  Aug.  29, 
1887,  submitted  plans  for  the  sewerage  of  the  town,  which 
proposed  the  discharge  of  the  sewage  into  Miller's  River, 
below  the  lower  village,  and  asked  this  Board  as  to  their 
right  to  so  discharge  it.     The  Board  replied  as  follows  :  — 

So  long  as  the  river  is  used  as  a  supply  for  drinking  water  at 
Orange,  Athol  is,  by  chapter  80,  section  9G  of  the  Public  Statutes, 


1888.]  SENATE  — No.  4.  21 

prohibited  from  discliarging  sewage  into  the  river.  The  sewage 
may  be  purified  b}'  filtration  through  land,  so  that  the  eflfluent  may 
be  turned  into  the  river.  From  an  examination  made  by  the  engi- 
neer of  the  Board  there  appears  to  be  land  near  the  Fitchburg 
railroad,  about  one  and  a  quarter  miles  below  the  proposed  outlet, 
to  which  the  sewage  may  be  pumped,  that  is  suitable  for  filtration 
purposes,  and  it  is  possible  that  other  suitable  area  may  be  found 
to  which  it  may  be  conveyed  by  gravity.  The  Board  advises  the 
town  of  Athol  to  have  examination  made  by  a  competent  engineer 
to  determine  the  most  economical  method  of  disposal  upon  a  suit- 
able filtration  area,  for  which  purpose  the  engineer  of  the  Board 
will  give  the  engineer  of  the  town  any  data  in  the  possession  of 
the  Board  that  may  be  of  sendee. 

Sherborn  Reformatory  Prison  for  Women.  —  The 
Commissioners  of  Prisons,  Oct.  10,  1887,  asked  the  advice 
of  this  Board  in  regard  to  supplementing  the  present  sew- 
age-disposal area  by  the  addition  of  some  land,  easterly  and 
across  the  road  from  the  prison ;  also,  whether  the  pipe, 
conveying  sewage  from  the  present  sewage-tanks  to  this 
land,  could  be  carried  under  the  basement  of  one  portion  of 
the  building  without  detriment  to  the  health  of  the  inmates. 

The  Board,  in  their  reply,  suggested  some  modifications 
of  the  plan  proposed,  and  that  the  pipe  passing  under  the 
building,  and  for  not  less  than  twelve  feet  outside  of  it, 
should  be  of  cast-iron  of  the  kind  used  for  water-supply  in 
cities,  to  be  connected  with  tight  lead  joints.  The  reply 
ended  with  the  advice  that  in  the  opinion  of  the  Board  a 
pipe  sewer  constructed  of  iron  as  above  described,  below 
the  basement  of  the  prison  building,  would  not  injure  the 
health  of  the  occupants  of  the  prison. 

They  do  not  consider  the  proposed  irrigation  field  east  of 
the  prison  essential  to  the  general  plan  of  sewage  disposal ; 
and  they  are  not  prepared  to  say  that  the  profit  from  the  use 
of  sewage  irrigation,  as  an  assistance  to  the  farming  opera- 
tions of  the  establishment,  would  yield  fair  return  upon  the 
money  thus  spent. 

Waltham.  — The  Sewerage  and  Drainage  Commissioners 
of  Waltham,  in  submitting  their  scheme  for  sewage  dis- 
posal, make  the  following  statement  to  this  Board  :  — 


22  AVATER   SUPPLY   AND    SEWERAGE.        [Jan. 

The  Sewerage  and  Drainage  Commissioners  of  the  city  of  "Wal- 
tham  were  ordered  by  the  city  council  last  year  to  report  a  system 
of  sewage  disposal  for  our  city. 

We  reported  in  favor  of  the  system  recommended  by  the  State 
Commissioners,  namely :  the  building  of  a  truuk  line  of  sewer 
down  the  valley  of  Charles  River  to  Boston  ;  to  be  constructed 
and  maintained  by  the  several  cities  and  towns  using  it. 

Since  the  action  of  the  Legislature  last  winter,  postponing  action 
on  the  State  Commissioners'  report,  we  have  been  considering 
other  methods  of  disposal,  and  particularly  the  sj'stem  of  clan'fi- 
cation  by  the  use  of  precipltants,  and  then  discharging  the  effluent 
into  Chai'les  River,  and  it  is  with  reference  to  this  method  of 
disposal  that  your  advice  is  particularly  desired. 

After  o'ivino;  a  bearino;  to  the  town,  the  Board  sent  the 
following :  — 

The  Board  is  not  prepared  to  adA-ise  the  city  of  Waltham  to 
adopt  the  plan  proposed :  to  clarif}^  the  sewage  by  chemical  pre- 
cipitation, and  discharge  the  effluent  into  the  Charles  River.  The 
general  subject  of  the  drainage  of  the  Mystic  valley,  and  so  much 
of  the  Charles  River  valley  as  may  be  drained  with  it,  has  been 
submitted  to  this  Board  by  the  General  Court  with  instructions  to 
report,  one  year  from  this  time.  Until  this  examination  is  com- 
pleted, the  Board  will  not  be  in  condition  to  make  definite  recom- 
mendations ;  but  the  Board,  as  at  present  advised,  sees  no  solution 
of  the  question  of  the  sewage  disposal  of  the  city  of  Waltham  so 
satisfactory  as  some  method  of  conveying  it  to  the  deep  sea  at 
Moon  Island,  in  conjunction  with  the  city  of  Newton,  and  the 
town  of  Brookliue  and  the  Brighton  District  of  Boston. 

Pollution  of  Inland  Waters. 

Arlington.  — The  selectmen  and  Board  of  Health  of  the 
town  of  Arlington,  on  the  14th  of  February,  1887,  presented 
a  communication  to  this  Board  representing  that  Alewife 
Brook,  forming  the  boundary  line  between  Cambridge  and 
Arlington,  received  a  large  quantity  of  sewage  from  three 
Cambridge  sewers,  and  much  oflfensive  matter  from  the 
slaughter-house  of  Niles  Brothers ;  that  the  waters  of  said 
brook  are  at  all  times  contaminated  and  polluted,  and  that 
they  constantly  endanger  and  imperil  the  public  health. 

These  authorities  of  the  town,  therefore,  requested  this 
Board  to  take  such  action  in  the  premises  as  may  be  author 


1888.]  SENATE  — No.  4.  23 

ized  by  law  to  prevent  the  pollution  of  the  waters  of  said 
brook. 

A  hearing  was  given  March  8,  1887,  to  the  Arlington 
authorities  and  other  parties  interested. 

On  the  9th  of  July,  1887,  a  second  communication  was 
received  from  these  same  authorities  requesting  this  Board 
to  cause  examinations  to  be  made  of  the  waters  of  Alewife 
Brook,  and  of  the  Lower  Mystic  Lake,  for  the  purpose  of 
ascertaining  whether  the  same  are  in  a  condition  likel}^  to 
impair  the  interests  of  the  public  or  imperil  the  public 
health.  In  addition  to  this  request  the  communication  con- 
tained substantially  the  same  representation  and  request  as 
the  first  one. 

The  Board  caused  examination  to  be  made  in  July  and 
August  with  the  result  that  they  found  Alewife  Brook  pol- 
luted to  such  an  extent  that  it  has  ceased  to  be  a  brook  and 
has  become  a  sewer,  and  below  the  entrance  of  the  drain 
from  Niles'  slaughter  house  is  much  more  offensive  than 
ordinary  city  sewers.  Its  condition  improves  somewhat 
before  reaching  Mystic  River. 

The  public  health  requires  that  such  an  open  sewer  should 
not  exist,  and  the  means  of  relieving  the  public  of  this 
nuisance  are  a  part  of  the  problem  of  disposal  of  the 
Mystic  River  sewage,  which  the  Legislature  has  referred 
to  this  Board  and  which  is  now  being  actively  con- 
sidered. 

On  the  days  when  the  lower  Mystic  Lake  was  visited 
there  was  no  noticeable  odor  except  in  the  immediate  vicin- 
ity of  the  place  where  the  discharge  from  the  Mystic 
Valley  sewer  enters  the  pond.  Chemical  examinations, 
however,  show  that  the  waters  are  polluted,  as  may  be  seen 
by  the  following  analysis  of  water  taken  from  the  surface 
in  the  middle  of  the  upper  half  of  the  lake,  on  July  27, 
1887,  expressed  in  parts  in  100,000  :  — 


Total  I'esidue, 

241.50 

Loss  of  residue  on  ignition, 

82.40 

Fixed  residue, 

209.10 

Free  ammonia, 

0.0578 

Albuminoid  ammonia,          .... 

0.0506 

Chlorine, 

127.0 

Nitrogen  as  nitrates  and  nitrites 

Present 

24  WATER   SUPPLY   AXD    SE^^T:RAGE.        [Jan, 

Palmer.  —  People  living  along  Graves  Brook  in  this 
town  made  complaint  to  the  Board  that  the  waters  of  the 
brook  had  become  polluted  by  the  filth  coming  from  a  car- 
pet mill,  including  both  the  manufacturing  refuse  or  drainage 
and  the  washings  from  privy  vaults,  to  such  an  extent  as 
to  make  the  waters  foul  and  ofi"ensive,  and  to  imperil  the 
public  health.  The  circumstances  were  examined  and  the 
following  response  made  on  December  7  :  — 

Section  96  of  chapter  80  of  the  Public  Statutes  provides  that 
"  no  human  excrement  shall  be  discharged  into  smy  stream  used 
as  a  source  of  water  supply  by  a  town  within  twenty  miles  above 
the  point  where  such  supply  is  taken,  or  into  any  feeders  of  such 
stream  within  such  twenty  miles." 

Water  being  used  from  the  river  at  Chicopee  Falls  for  domestic 
purposes  within  twenty  miles  from  the  carpet  mill  at  Palmer,  this 
mhl  and  all  others  in  the  \'iciuity  are  prohibited  from  discharging 
then-  privies  into  the  stream.  As  to  the  further  discharge  from 
the  carpet  mill  the  State  Board  of  Health  does  not  see*  that  in  the 
case  as  stated  by  you  they  have  authorit}'^  to  interfere. 

Disposal  or  Manufacturing  Drainage  or  Refuse. 

XoRTHAMPTON.  — On  the  3d  of  December,  1887,  an  appli- 
cation was  made  to  this  Board  for  ad\dce  with  reference  to 
the  disposal  of  the  drainage  from  proposed  soap  works  to  be 
built  in  Northampton.  The  Board  caused  examinations  of 
the  locality  to  be  made  by  its  secretary  and  appointed  a 
time  for  a  public  hearing,  when  the  application  was  with- 
drawn on  account  of  the  failure  to  procure  the  desired  land 
for  the  works. 


1888.]  SENATE  — No.  4.  25 


n. 

The  following  observations  pertain  to  the  operations  of 
the  Board  referred  to  in  the  second  department  of  work.* 

The  Board  of  Health  has  at  various  times  called  attention 
to  the  limitations  of  the  methods  hitherto  practised  for  deter- 
mining the  character  of  the  substances  present  in  water, 
which  may  have  an  injurious  effect  upon  human  health. 

It  was  therefore  decided  to  call  to  the  assistance  of  the 
Board  some  analytical  chemist  of  the  highest  repute,  who 
should  be  directed  not  only  to  repeat  such  examinations  as 
have  heretofore  from  time  to  time  been  made,  but  also  to 
again  critically  examine  the  successive  steps  of  such  exami- 
nations with  a  view  to  their  possible  improvement  and 
extension. 

We  believe  that  at  the  end  of  a  year's  work  we  can  point 
to  improved  methods  of  analysis,  and  that  we  shall  then  be 
in  condition  to  give  a  more  exact  interpretation  of  results. 

Prof.  T.  M.  Drown  of  the  Massachusetts  Institute  of 
Technology  has  had  charge  of  the  chemical  analyses.  Mrs. 
R.  H.  Richards  has  had  the  immediate  oversight  of  the  labo- 
ratory staff,  consisting  of  Messrs.  A.  H.  Gill,  Henry  Mar- 
tin, H.  A.  Richardson  and  Miss  Isabel  F.  Hyams.  Regular 
work  was  begun  in  June,  1887,  and  there  have  been  exam- 
ined 1,509  samples  of  water.  In  accordance  with  the 
general  plan,  as  above  stated,  a  great  deal  of  work  has  been 
done  in  studying  the  changes  which  waters  undergo  in  differ- 
ent conditions,  and  in  perfecting  analytical  processes  in  the 
line  of  greater  accuracy  and  rapidity. 

We  have  thought  it  advisable  to  withhold  a  general  dis- 
cussion of  the  analyses  already  made  until  we  have  in  our 
possession  observations  extending  through  all  the  seasons  of 
the  year. 

The  chemical  examinations  of  the  water  supplies  have 
been  accompanied  so  far  as  possible  by  a  study  of  the  animal 
and  vegetable  life  always  present  to  a  greater  or  less  degree 
in  surface  waters. 

Mr.  G.  H.  Parker,  S.B.,  assistant  in  Zoology  in  Harvard 

*  See  page  2. 


26  WATER  SUPPLY  AND  SEWERAGE.       [Jan. 

University,  has  had  charge  of  the  examinations  of  waters 
with  reference  to  the  forms  of  vegetable  and  animal  life 
which  are  either  evident  to  the  naked  eye  or  which  can  be 
studied  with  the  lower  powers  of  the  microscope.  To  E.  K. 
Dunham,  M.D.,  was  assigned  the  investigation  of  the  bac- 
teria and  kindred  forms  of  vegetable  life,  which  can  only  be 
studied  with  the  higher  powers  of  the  microscope,  and  by 
various  elaborate  methods  of  cultivation,  requiring  much 
time  and  great  technical  skill. 

Mr.  Parker  began  his  work  in  July.  Dr.  Dunham  entered 
upon  his  investigations  in  October.  It  is  too  early,  there- 
fore, to  attempt  to  draw  many  very  definite  conclusions  from 
their  observations  in  their  respective  fields  of  inquiry. 

The  details  of  a  plan  for  procuring  samples  of  water  from 
the  various  supplies  under  consideration,  so  accurately  de- 
fined as  to  permit  of  comparison  with  samples  taken  from 
the  same  sources  throughout  the  year  or  in  any  succeeding 
year,  have  been  carefully  prepared  by  the  chief  engineer  of 
the  Board,  F.  P.  Stearns,  C.  E. 

Preliminary  to  this  work  all  the  statistical  information 
which  could  be  obtained  was  brought  together  and  so 
arranged  that  all  the  recorded  facts  concerning  any  public 
water  supply  were  made  available.  We  can  therefore  com- 
pare with  more  confidence  than  ever  before  our  successive 
observations  of  the  water  supplies  of  the  State. 

All  the  important  details  relating  to  this  subject  will  be 
found  in  the  report  of  Mr.  Stearns  hereto  appended,  to- 
gether with  a  very  instructive  discussion  of  some  of  the 
results  obtained. 

It  will  be  seen  that  municipalties  representing  eighty-two 
per  cent,  of  the  whole  population  of  the  State  are  provided 
with  public  water  supplies,  —  a  sufficient  argument  for  treat- 
ing this  question  with  a  consideration  due  to  one  of  our  most 
important  sanitary  problems,  and  with  the  certainty,  more- 
over, that  the  difficultes  of  the  situation  will  increase  from 
day  to  day.  Some  observations  upon  the  composition  of 
water  in  filter  galleries  by  the  side  of  streams  and  ponds 
will  also  be  found  in  this  Appendix,  to  which  attention  is 
also  called.     They  have  great  practical  value  in  demonstra- 


1888.]  SENATE  — No.  4.  ■      27 

ting  some  of  the  advantages  of  this   method  of  collecting 
potable  waters. 

As  only  a  limited  number  of  water  supplies  could  be 
examined  by  Mr.  Parker  and  Dr.  Dunham,  it  was  thought 
wise  to  begin  with  the  largest  and  most  important  supplies, 
first  on  account  of  the  great  number  of  people  dependent 
upon  them,  and  secondly,  because  all  their  physical  condi- 
tions were  much  better  known,  and  because  more  informa- 
tion could  be  had  without  expense  to  the  State.  From  time 
to  time  other  water  supplies  have  been  examined  in  this 
exhaustive  manner,  as  occasion  has  seemed  to  require. 

Three  classes  of  plants  are  found  in  our  ponds  and  reser- 
voirs. First,  those  which  are  fixed  in  the  l)asins,  such  as 
the  common  pond  weeds  and  a  few  filamentous  algse.  Sec- 
ond, those  which  are  suspended  in  the  water,  but  do  not 
readily  decompose,  including  the  common  green  algse  {des- 
mids,  diatoms,  etc.)  and  duck- weeds.  Third,  those  which 
are  suspended  in  the  water  and  readily  decompose,  the  blue- 
green  alg^  (^Coelosphoerium,  Anaboena,  and  Clathrocystis). 
Plants  firmly  fixed  in  streams  and  basins  are  harmful 
mainly  in  afibrding  a  lodging-place  for  the  development  of 
plants  belonging  to  the  groups  two  and  three  above  noted. 
In  basins  having  much  fluctuation  of  level,  plants  of  the  first 
group  may  injure  the  water  by  their  death  and  consequent 
decay. 

The  floating  plants  of  the  second  group  are  injurious, 
since,  after  a  long  carriage  through  a  closed  conduit  or  in 
continued  hot  weather,  they  die  and  decompose.  In  Boston 
water,  taken  from  a  tap,  they  are  usually  dead;  in  Cam- 
bridge they  are  usually  alive  in  the  water  taken  in  the  same 
way,  and  ofi'end  only  the  sense  of  sight. 

The  members  of  the  third  class  multiply  very  rapidly,  and 
secrete  a  jelly,  which,  together  with  the  plant,  readily  un- 
dergoes decomposition.  These  plants  usually  decay  in  the 
basins,  and  are  represented  in  the  water  drawn  from  the 
taps  only  by  a  few  fragments. 

Of  animals,  two  classes  may  be  mentioned  :  the  fixed  or 
sessile  forms,  and  the  free  swimming.  Of  the  latter  the 
entomostraca    are    the    only  troublesome    forms,  and   these 


28  WATER  SUPPLY  AND  SEWERAGE.        [Jan. 

maiol}'  in  the  hot  weather,  when  the  rate  of  reproduction  is 
very  high.  Of  the  sessile  animals  two  are  noteworthy,  the 
fresh  water  sponge  and  the  polyzoa.  The  latter  usually 
encrust  the  gates  and  open  ends  of  pipes.  One  gela- 
tinous form  lives  in  the  ponds,  —  sometimes  free,  sometimes 
attached. 

The  comparatively  small  number  of  the  polyzoa  and  their 
hardiness  render  them  generallj'^  less  important  than  some  of 
the  other  organisms.  The  sponges  are  undoubtedly  the 
most  troublesome  of  the  animals  found  in  water  supplies. 
They  seem  to  have  established  themselves  in  the  service- 
pipes  of  the  Boston  and  Charlestown  systems,  but  are  not 
found  in  the  Cambridge  system.  They  readily  decompose 
and  strongly  taint  the  water.  They  are  now  conspicuously 
absent  in  the  sources  of  Boston's  water  supply. 

Some  of  the  lines  upon  which  relief  from  the  nuisance 
occasioned  by  these  organisms  may  be  sought  are  the  fol- 
lowing :  Fixed  plants  can  be  cleared  from  ponds  by  the 
usual  methods  of  raking.  Improvements  of  the  ponds  by 
deepening  and  removing  the  loam  will  probably  do  much  to 
check  the  growth  of  plants  in  groups  two  and  three. 

In  Mr.  Parker's  preliminary  report,  which  is  printed  in 
the  Appendix,*  will  be  found  some  observations  upon  the 
changes  undergone  by  water  from  one  locality,  under  the 
difierent  conditions  of  storage  in  a  filter  gallery,  in  an  open 
and  in  a  covered  reservoir.  These  observations  have  a 
great  practical  value,  and  demonstrate  the  value  of  covered 
reservoirs  as  a  protection  against  the  vegetable  life,  which 
seems  to  be  the  ordinary''  source  of  the  disagreeable  tastes 
and  smells  so  common  in  our  ponds  and  reservoirs. 

Four  rivers  in  the  State  have  been  systematically  exam- 
ined. These  are  the  Taunton,  the  Blackstone,  the  Charles, 
and  the  Merrimack. 

In  the  study  of  composition  of  river  waters  and  the 
changes  which  they  undergo  in  their  progress,  we  must,  in 
addition  to  the  chemical  determinations,  bring  into  our 
consideration  the  geology  and  surface  topography  of  the 
region  through  which  the  rivers  flow.  Wooded  and  swampy 
lands  will  give  to  their  waters,  with  sluggish  flow,  high  color 

*  See  Appendix  A. 


1888.]  SENATE  — No.  4.  29 

and  much  soluble  vegetable  matters.  Barren  and  rocky 
districts  have  rapid  streams  with  little  organic  impurity  and 
more  or  less  mineral  matter,  according  to  the  character  of 
the  rocks  over  which  they  flow. 

Deep  mountain  lakes  furnish  water  of  high  purity,  with- 
out odor  or  color,  and  the  waters  of  shallow  lakes  and  ponds 
in  low  rolling  country  are  generally  colored  from  dissolved 
vefjetable  matters,  and  often  have  a  distinct  odor  from 
aquatic  growths  of  vegetable  or  animal  origin. 

Any  investigation,  therefore,  into  the  pollution  of  streams 
by  the  drainage  of  human  habitations  or  by  manufacturing 
refuse,  presupposes  the  study  of  the  streams  themselves, 
and  the  nature  of  their  mineral  and  organic  contents  before 
they  reach  the  point  of  pollution  from  sewage  or  similar 
drainage. 

It  is  well  to  bear  in  mind  that,  although  the  admission  of 
sewage  into  streams  constitutes  the  principal  and  dangerous 
pollution,  natural  waters,  far  removed  from  human  settle- 
ment, may  be  impure  and  repellent  by  reason  of  the  pro- 
ducts of  vegetable  and  animal  growth  and  decay.  Because 
a  stream  is  dark  colored  or  is  distasteful,  and  contains  or- 
ganic matter  and  products  of  putrefactive  change,  we  must 
not  take  it  for  granted  that  it  is  contaminated  by  human 
refuse,  or  that  it  is  dangerous  in  containing,  necessarily,  the 
germs  of  specific  disease. 

One  chemical  analysis  of  the  water  from  a  stream  will  not 
tell  us  (except  in  extreme  cases)  whether  the  stream  is  or 
is  not  contaminated  dangerously  with  sewage.  Indeed, 
many  analyses  of  the  water  taken  at  random  at  different 
seasons  may  often  fail  to  give  us  this  information.  We 
need  to  know  what  is  the  character  of  the  water  under  nor- 
mal conditions  of  rainfall,  and  also  what  it  is  in  dry  seasons, 
and  when  the  water  is  unusually  high.  When  a  stream  is 
swollen  after  heavy  rains  the  water  is  turbid  from  suspended 
earthy  matters  and  matters  of  organic  origin  washed  down 
from  the  banks  of  the  stream.  An  analysis  made  under 
these  conditions  will  give  a  very  difi"ereut  result  from  what 
would  be  obtained  during  summer  heat  and  drought.  Yet 
the  knowiedo;e  of  the  character  of  the  water  under  both  con- 


30  WATER  SUPPLY  AND  SEWERAGE.  [Jan. 

ditions  is  a  matter  of  importance,  in  tlie  study  of  the  changes 
which  a  stream  undergoes  as  it  flows  through  a  populous 
and  manufacturing  district. 

Further,  the  degree  of  the  polhition  of  a  stream  will 
obviously  depend  on  the  relation  between  the  volume  of  the 
water  flowing  and  the  amount  of  contaminating  material 
which  enters  it.  The  fouling  of  small  streams  by  an  amount 
of  drainao;e  which  a  large  river  would  absorb  without  notice- 
able  efiect,  is  a  matter  of  common  observation.  Neverthe- 
less, when  it  concerns  the  matter  of  a  supply  of  water  for 
drinking  purposes  it  is  of  the  first  importance  to  keep  a 
jealous  watch  over  the  efiect  of  an  increasing  vplume  of 
drainage  entering  rivers  even  of  large  size. 

In  the  chemical  analyses  of  the  waters  of  the  rivers  (as 
well  as  the  water  supplies  of  the  State  in  general)  those  sub- 
stances have  been  determined  which  experience  has  shown 
to  be  the  most  important  in  influencing  the  character  of 
water  when  used  for  domestic  purposes.  Briefly  expressed, 
the  scheme  of  analysis  is  as  follows  :  The  water  is  inspected 
for  turbidity  and  sediment.  The  odor  at  ordinary  tempera- 
tures, and  at  a  point  near  boiling,  is  noted.  Its  color  is 
recorded  on  a  scale  formed  by  adding  the  so-called  Ness- 
ler  reagent  to  varying  amounts  of  ammonium  chloride.  This 
scale  is  the  same  as  that  used  in  the  determination  of  free 
and  albuminoid  ammonia.  Color  1  is  a  distinct  yellowish 
brown  when  seen  in  a  depth  of  five  or  six  inches  ;  2  is  a 
decided  yellowish  brown.  On  this  scale  Cochituate  water  as 
drawn  from  a  faucet  is  on  an  averasje  about  0.35.  The  "  total 
solids  "  express  the  amount  of  both  organic  and  mineral 
matters  which  the  water  contains.  The  "  loss  on  io;nition" 
represents  in  most  of  the  surface  waters  very  closely  the 
organic  matters,  and  the  "fixed  solids"  those  of  mineral 
origin.  And  here  it  should  be  said  that  it  has  been  the 
usual  practice  in  carrying  out  these  analyses  to  include  the 
sediment  and  suspended  matters  in  the  determinations,  ex- 
cept in  those  cases  where  the  amount  of  undissolved  matters 
is  excessive  by  reason  of  heavy  rains  or  other  causes.  In 
such  cases  the  determination  has  been  made  on  both  the 
unfiltered  and  filtered  sample. 

"  Free   ammonia  "  is  one  of  the  products  of  the  decay  of 


1888.]  SENATE  — No.  4.  31 

organic  nitrogenous  matter,  either  vegetable  or  animal,  and 
"albuminoid  ammonia"  represents  the  amount  of  nitrogen- 
ous matter  which  is  capable  of  giving  ammonia  in  the  pro- 
cess of  decay.  The  "nitrogen  in  the  form  of  nitrates" 
expresses  the  completion  of  changes  which  go  on  in  nitro- 
genous matters  in  their  progress  from  the  organized  to  the 
inorganic  condition. 

Chlorine  is  generally  present  in  water  as  chloride  of 
sodium  or  common  salt  (one  part  of  chlorine  being  equiva- 
lent to  1.65  parts  of  common  salt).  It  may  come  from  the 
soils  and  rocks  over  and  through  which  the  water  passes, 
and  from  proximity  to  the  sea,  and  it  may  also  come  from 
the  waste  products  of  human  life  and  manufacture.  It  is 
this  latter  orio^in  that  ogives  it  its  o^reat  sio-nificance  in  water 
analyses  as  a  possible  indication  of  sewage,  in  which  it  is 
always  present  in  considerable  amount. 

In  the  following  table  of  analyses  of  four  of  the  rivers  of 
the  State  these  determinations  have  been  arranged  in  two 
groups,  in  order  to  bring  together  the  determinations  which 
are  most  closely  related  to  one  another.  Thus,  we  have  a 
table  of  Organic  Contents,  in  which  will  be  found  the  nitro- 
gen in  the  form  of  free  ammonia,  in  the  form  of  albuminoid 
ammonia,  and  in  the  form  of  nitrates.  With  these  is  given 
the  color  of  the  water  (on  the  scale  mentioned  above) ,  since 
a  very  close  correspondence  has  been  made  out  between  the 
depth  of  the  color  (which  represents  the  vegetable  organic 
matter  in  solution)  and  the  amount  of  albuminoid  ammonia. 

In  the  other  table  of  3Imeral  Co7itents  the  fixed  solids 
express  the  amount  of  the  mineral  matters  present,  and  the 
chlorine  the  contents  of  salt.  The  loss  on  ignition,  as  before 
said,  is  approximately  the  total  amount  of  organic  matter 
present,  irrespective  of  its  origin  and  character.  The  tur- 
bidity is  given  in  this  table,  since  it  bears  a  close  relation 
to  the  amount  of  solids  determined  by  analysis.  The 
chemical  results  embrace  a  period  of  seven  months,  from 
June  to  December. 

The  study  of  these  tables  is  interesting  and  profitable,  but 
as  they  cover  only  a  part  of  the  year  any  conclusions  drawn 
from  their  study  in  their  present  form  may  have  to  be  modi- 
fied as  the  work  progresses.     Moreover,  the  past  summer 


32  WATER  SUPPLY  AND  SEWERAGE.         [Jan. 

was  one  of   unusual  rainfall,  and  the  waters  of  this  period 
cannot  be  considered  as  normal. 

The  collection  of  the  samples  of  water  was  so  planned 
that  the  waters  of  any  one  river  should  be  taken  from  the 
various  stations  as  near  as  possible  on  the  same  day.  Even 
with  this  precaution  to  ensure  con)parable  results  local  rains 
have  at  times  a  disturbing  influence.  The  samples  taken 
from  the  tributaries  of  the  rivers  are  given  in  the  same  series 
as  the  rivers,  but  they  were  not  as  a  rule  collected  at  the 
same  time. 

The  Taunton  River. 
The  Taunton   River   represents   a  drainage  area  of  450 
square  miles.     Within  this  area  the  waters  of  the  river  and 
its  tributaries  have  been  examined  at  nine  stations,  mainly 
in  the  eastern  portion  ;  but  the  monthly  samples  from  these 
points  were  not  always  collected  on  the  same  day.     The 
analyses  have  been   arranged   in  three  groups.     First,  the 
Salisbury  Brook  above  Brockton,  which  furnishes  the  water 
supply  of  the  city,  Salisbury  Plain  River   below  Brockton, 
and  the  Taunton  River  at  Sturtevant's  Bridge,  Bridge  water, 
just  above  its  junction  with  the  Nemasket.     In  the  second 
group  are  the  waters  brought  in  by  the  Nemasket,  namely  : 
Elders   Pond,   Little  Quittacas  Pond,  Assowompset   Pond, 
the  Nemasket  at  Middleborough,  and  also  at  the  Old  Mill 
just  before  it  joins  the  Taunton.     In  the  third   group  are 
two  stations  on  the  Taunton  River,  one  just  below  its  junc- 
tion with  the  Nemasket  at  Dunbar's  Bridge,  and  the  other 
at  the  city  of  Taunton  (see  Tables  la  and  lb).      It  would 
be  interesting  in  studying  the  character  of  the  waters  of  this 
area  to  know  the  kind  of  water  brought  in   by  the  eastern 
tributaries,  and  those   draining  North  Easton   and   Bridge- 
water,  which  flow  into  the  Taunton  before  its  junction  with 
the  Nemasket.     On  comparing  the  character  of  the  first  two 
groups  one  is  first  impress^ed  with  the  fact  that  the  waters 
from  the  north  are  high  colored,  and  that  those  from  the 
south,  brought  in  by  the  Nemasket,  have  but  little  color. 
This  high  color  is  accompanied,  as  usual,  with  high  albu- 
minoid   ammonia.      The  lighter  colored   waters    from    the 
south,  with  lower  amount  of  albuminoid  ammonia,  have  a 


NORTHERN  TRIBUTARIES. 


TABLE    I.    "A." 

TAUNTON    RXVER   A^jSTD    THIBUT^RIES. 

{ORGANIC  CONTENTS).    Paiits  in  100,000. 


ISST. 
July,   . 

AugUBt,* 

Beptembor, 
October, 
2Tovambor, 
Docembor, 


Receives  draiDogc  of  Brocktoo 
between  the  points  at  wbicb 
the  eampleB  were  taken,  aa 
indicated  Id  the  unalyseB  at 
the  right  and  left  of  this 
epace. 


RIVER  BELOW  JUNCTION. 


u  early  In  September. 
SOUTHERN  TRIBUTARIES. 


July,  . 
August, 


November, . 
December, . 


{  mliiold 


Nitrogen 
Nltmtcs. 


September. 
October. 
November. 
December. 


NOBTUEUN  TliinUTARIES. 


TABLE   I.     "  B." 

t^untojst  river  _a.nd  tributaries. 

(MINERAL  CONTENTS;.    Pahts  m  100,000. 


lUmcKTON  ' 'fro  FIAo"  "it  K8K 11  voriL 

1 

-■■-:-■»■"-»■ 

■'■""°"''m:,u;r„r '■'■"""'*''' 

Turbidity. 

iz. 

ISIlUIOTI. 

Sull(]ii. 

c„„V,„. 

Kc'ceivcB  DraiLugf  of  Itrocklou. 

Turbidity. 

Solids. 

iKidtloii. 

!11 

™.„.. 

n.e,™..„..j^.™..«we»,.. 

Turbidity. 

sir 

Ignition. 

Fixed 
Solids. 

Chl„,„.. 

IHflT. 
Juno,    . 
July,     .       . 

DoclJod, 
UuclJt'tl, 
Heavy,  . 
Ik-Hvy,  . 

Bllfjlit.  . 
Decided. 

(..80 
6.0S 
4.11) 

2.02 
2.05 
2.  Id 

2.88 

a.oo 

2.36 

■: 

-•• 

.:» 

2:00 

,:™ 

,:2o 

":,^?..,t,( 

Dodilod, 
Decliled, 
Deciilcd, 
Docidod, 

7.45 

3.45 

4.40 
4.20 

.09 
.72 

.67 

MVEE  BELOW  JUNCTION. 

8oplcml>or,  . 
Oulobor, 
Novomlor,  . 

TAUKTON  UIVER  — 

'''  iiu'r.'^"",!"""' 

A,™.™. 

Dooembor,  . 
Muan,    . 

Tiiiliidily. 

IZ. 

ilguitlou. 

sZ. 

Cidotino. 

Turbidity 

s™d";. 

Igidtlun. 

so^^. 

Cldotlne 

•  ThiH  Buinpio  wiifl  tnkoii  early  lu  8oi)lumbcr. 

SOUTHERN  TRl 

BUTAHIl;S. 

Very      1 
.light,  1 

Very      1 
Blight.  ) 
Dceided, 
Slight,   . 
•light,  1 

:: 

2.87 

3.85 

.72 
.68 

Slight,   . 
Slight,   . 
Very      ) 
slight,  j 
SllL;lit,    . 
Sllijbt,    . 
Slight,   . 
Dleliuct, 

6 

84 

3 

70 
09 

3 
3 

60 
75 

73 
68 

59 

Juno. 
July. 
August. 
Sc'iilembor. 

Docembor. 

'^'CZuI^"' 

'■'"-,,^-7-;;'''»'"' 

ASSOWOHM.ShT  I'OND, 

i,.«AJKCTj«VM,,  M,1,I,UK- 

'"■"""■■roiw.",""'""''' 

Tirrbldlly          '' 

iKlllllull. 

jr. 

CUdorluc 

Turbhllty. 

T«,n,    !.....„ 
Solid.,    jlgiillloii. 

Solids. 

Clilorlnc. 

Turbidity 

IZ. 

iBultloii. 

sililds     '''"°''"' 

Turbldity. 

IZ. 

Loss  on      rixc       cillorliic 
Igiilllun.     Sotltls. 

Turbidity 

:;::;. 

,"",::;;. 

TZ. 

Cl„o,l„.. 

Juno,    . 

.„:„,. 

:» 

.:. 

.:.3 

:. 

Sllgbl.  . 

:. 

~ 

:„ 

:« 

«,.:„,, 

:,. 

0:00 

:.. 

:« 

Slight,  . 

Slight,  . 
Very      1 
flight,  i 

.'light,  1 
.Tight, ! 

\ 

flight,) 

8li'«ht,  1 

_4.00 

1.23 

«I 

z 

July.    .       . 

Aiigiial, 

Bo))tcnibor, 

Omobor, 

Kovombor, 

Oouombor, 

Menu,   . 

* 

:: 

30 
30 

70 

I 

\ 

1888.]  SENATE  — No.  4.  33 

very  slight  effect  in  reducing  the  intensity  of  the  color  in  the 
northern  waters,  on  account  of  the  much  smaller  volume  of 
water  flowing  in  the  Nemasket. 

The  Taunton  River,  after  receiving  the  purer  waters  of  the 
Nemasket,  is  but  slightly  altered  in  color,  and  the  free  and 
albuminoid  ammonia  are  not  much  reduced.  The  waters 
from  the  north  are  also  more  turbid,  and  carry  more  earthy 
and  flocculent  sediment  than  those  from  the  south.  To  this 
suspended  matter,  as  well  as  to  the  organic  matter  in  solu- 
tion, much  of  the  albuminoid  ammonia  is  due.  Thus  the 
sample  for  October  from  the  Brockton  storage-reservoir, 
on  Salisbury  Brook,  which  gave  .0518  parts  of  albuminoid 
ammonia,  gave  only  .0282  after  simple  filtration  through 
paper.  The  high  loss  on  ignition  in  this  water,  nearly  tme- 
half  of  the  total  solids,  points  also  to  a  large  amount  of 
organic  matter.  The  mineral  matters,  or  fixed  solids,  in- 
crease in  the  northern  tributaries  from  2.67  at  Salisbury 
Brook  to  4.50  at  Sturtevant's  Bridge,  and  the  chlorine, 
which  generally  increases  in  the  same  ratio  as  the  fixed  solids, 
rises  from  0.33  to  0.67  parts.  In  the  southern  tributaries  we 
have  much  less  solid  matter  brought  in,  both  organic  and 
mineral.  The  turbidity  and  sediment  are,  as  a  rule,  less, 
and  the  fixed  solids  and  loss  on  ignition  are  both  lower 

After  the  union  of  the  rivers  the  Taunton,  owing  to  its 
much  greater  volume,  preserves  its  general  character,  but 
the  Nemasket  waters  have,  nevertheless,  a  noticeable  effect 
in  lowering  the  free  and  albuminoid  ammonia  and  the  fixed 
mineral  contents.  In  the  further  progress  of  the  river  to 
the  city  of  Taunton,  it  remains  substantially  constant  in  com- 
position ;  but  the  effect  of  the  drainage  of  a  populous  region 
is  shown  in  a  decided  tendency  to  an  increase  of  the  free 
ammonia. 

The  Charles  Eiver. 
The  Charles  River  has  been  examined  regularly  at  five 
points,  —  at  South  Natick,  West  Roxbury,  Newton  Upper 
Falls,  Waltham,  and  Watertown.  There  are,  also,  one 
analysis  of  the  river  water  at  Milford,  three  of  Rosemary 
Brook,  vvhich  joins  the  river  below  Newton  Upper  Falls, 
and  five  of  Stony  Brook,  which  tiows  into  the  river  above 


34  WATER   SUPPLY   AND    SEWERAGE.      [Jan. 

Waltham.  If  we  compare  the  averages  of  the  two  end 
points  in  this  series  (see  Table  Ila  and  lib),  namely, 
the  river  at  South  Natick  and  at  Watertown,  the  contrast 
is  striking.  The  free  ammonia  is  increased  ten-fold, 
the  nitrogen  as  nitrates  three-fold,  the  fixed  solids  rise 
from  3.83  to  5.54  parts,  the  chlorine  from  0.43  to  0.69 
parts,  and  there  is  a  decrease  in  color  in  the  proportion  of 
84  to  57.  In  so  far  as  these  figures  express  in  a  general 
way  the  tendency  to  progressive  pollution  they  convey  im- 
portant information,  but  they  are  misleading  if  they  give  the 
idea  that  the  river  at  Watertown  always  bears  this  relation 
to  the  river  at  South  Natick.  If  we  compare  the  analyses 
of  the  waters  from  these  tvi^o  stations  in  Jul}^,  we  find  the 
composition  nearly  identical  as  regards  organic  contents ; 
but  in  November,  the  free  ammonia  and  nitrates  are  very 
much  higher  in  the  river  at  Watertown.  A  single  random 
analysis  may  sometimes  tell  us  a  good  deal  about  a  water, 
but  it  may  lead  to  serious  error  if  we  attempt  to  get  from  it 
more  information  than  the  actual  figures  tell  us  of  the  com- 
position of  the  one  sample,  taken  under  certain  conditions 
and  at  a  certain  time.  The  danger  of  error  decreases  with 
the  number  of  analj^ses  and  the  length  of  time  covered  by 
the  investigation,  but  it  is  not  entirely  eliminated  until  we 
are  thoroughly  acquainted  with  causes  of  accidental  changes 
in  a  stream,  as  well  as  with  those  which  are  regular  and 
normal. 

The  high  albuminoid  ammonia  of  the  water  at  South 
Natick  is  normal  if  we  take  into  consideration  the  general 
average  high  color  of  this  water,  and  the  low  free  ammonia 
associated  with  it  points  to  the  vegetable  nature  of  this 
impurity.  At  Watertown  the  water  is  generally  of  lower 
color  with  a  tendency  to  high  free  ammonia,  conditions 
which  point  to  contamination  by  drainage. 

The  mineral  contents  of  surface  waters  are  not,  as  a  rule, 
subject  to  such  irregular  and  fitful  changes  as  the  organic 
contents.  Thus,  in  the  Charles  River  the  chlorine  increases 
steadily,  almost  without  break,  from  Milford  to  Watertown. 
The  changes  show  great  regularity  both  in  the  waters  of 
each  station  when  compared  with  themselves,  and  also  from 
station  to  station  as  the  stream  flows  onward.     In  general. 


TABLE   II.    "A." 

CHARLES      RIVER. 

(ORGANIC   CONTENTSJ.     rAIt-ra  IN  100,000. 


oTr""     '-'.-'.       I"    'Z     '°Z  '  'Z      !'!     'ZI     'I!     'Z      "     Z     'Z     'Z      ,\     m.s      o™     m      .'I     T."     'Z     'I-      It"    'Z      «*!     «!      "'I-    'Z     'Z     '"' 


TABLE   II.   "  B." 

CII.A.RX,ES     RIVER. 

(JIINERAL   CONTENTS).     Paiits  in  100,000. 


.,H,™.. 

.,Bo,™n„.ok. 

'bLI^°"L"3"' 

....™„„.„.^„. 

ll„„.™,B.oo.,^.„.^,. 

•  1  "oii.^r.'si"""'' 

.,w..„.. 

.,w™™. 

Turbldlly. 

i:i 

IgnltloQ. 

s"S. 

Torbltllly. 

121 

iB»m™. 

JomI 

o.„... 

TurWdily. 

■s'.S. 

iBQitlOD. 

Solid.. 

C.„l„. 

Turlildlly. 

sTi 

Ignition. 

s«m1. 

Tuchldlty. 

SoC!. 

IgOWOD. 

s'r 

C.1..1.. 

TLirUlllty. 

IZl 

iBiSS.a. 

Zl 

0.1.,.. 

TiirbUllty. 

Zl 

Ignition. 

sTl 

0...... 

Turbidity. 

s™. 

Igoitlon. 

6^.'al'. 

...... 

July,     .        . 

Augnel, 
8ci.Winlii.T.  . 

Mean,    . 

'%«,! 

IM 

i.m 

=.*. 

.30 

Blight.      . 

suebi,    . 

: 

J» 

I 

z 

: 

'"fi^giit,  1 
"^ght,  ( 

"ughi,  ( 

" 

l!.S 

E 

: 

"figlil,  i 
Slight,      . 
Slight,     . 

e 

: 

J 

: 

j'io 

: 

"aKght,  i 

5^B6 

::: 

4^00 

:: 

^'ii,,.! 

Slighl,     . 

:: 

; 

: 

: 

: 

Slight,      . 
Slight,      . 

0.27 

: 

: 

: 

Slight,      . 

?:: 

=••» 

; 

;: 

: 

TABLE    III.      "A." 

BLAOKSTOlSrE     EIVER. 

(OKGANIC  CONTENTS).      Pabis  in  100,000. 


HO,.„KB,o„„.n.„»V.,.. 

l.,<,™.s™„„  ■=.>.»»„. 

"•"•"-"'„;:.=:"'■'"""- 

,  m™  „,.o,,  orrrw„o..,.„  6kwb„. 

Dudtid  nr  LjiiB^QiJisiMAaoKn  .in.  oraEn 

M.™. 

C„„. 

aIZIu. 

-r:r 

NItrogcD 

c.,„. 

a™i.. 

^r"or 

NUroecn 

c.,„. 

JZ,.. 

?::r 

NUroHCD 

0... 

.^1'::,.. 

r:r 

Nitrogen 

CO... 

.:„"!. 

r:r 

S,.™g.n 

July,    . 

Scptcmljcr,  . 

" 

0000 

0170 

OO' 

:;: 

;E 

:: 

.007 

0.3 

Z 

E 

:: 

r 

E 

0380 

^1' 

:!' 

E 

Z 

'E 

<1  by  I 


TABLE    III.      "  B." 

bl^ck:sto]S"e    river. 

CMINERAL   CONTENTS).      Parts  in  100,000. 


Ho™.S™„„.„„vo,.. 

.™.™«„„o.l.™,„. 

,  M,„  =„.,w  Ou™;r"»c..™„  B.„.. 

B.„™n„.J|=,.».™o,n» 

M,™.. 

ton. 

Loi. 

Lo.. 

Lo., 

Lo.. 

Turbidity. 

B.,„.. 

IgnltloD. 

S.,,0.. 

OMortoc. 

Turbidity. 

=""-• 

ICOiliOQ. 

s.,„.. 

OMoilD,. 

Turbidity 

sea.. 

Ignition. 

s'r.  ^"'■ 

loo. 

■"""""'■ 

igot,;..  "' 

... 

CMorlno. 

Tnrbldlly 

so,,... 

Ignition. 

Boii... 

Ohiort... 

Jm.""' 

SWghl,     . 

2.2, 

LOT 

1.20 

.11 

SIlBht,      . 

2.02 

0..7 

2.0. 

.U 

dirty. 

122.00 

0.30 

13.00            1 

n 

Do.ia.a,. 

O.OS 

1.52          5 

13 

.77 

Sllgbl,' 

5.52 

1.12 

3.70 

.53 

July,    .       . 

(42.00 

3.25 

38.75            2 

12 

DUtinct,  . 

7.27 

27          0 

00 

.82 

Dialincl, 

4. so 

1.00 

3 

SO 

42 

Aui!..i,       . 

DKllMcl,  . 

a.07 

1.02 

1.(6 

.OS 

"-:«,«,  1 

3.20 

1.30 

1.00 

dirty, 

1  H.,10 

3.-0 

1J.80            1 

21 

Dlnioci, . 

7.05 

05          5 

10 

.00 

Slight, 

5.22 

1.07 

4 

15 

41 

S.i«cml..r,  . 

DMldOj,. 

!.60 

0.00 

i.eo 

.IS 

2.00 

0.51 

2.35 

dirty, 

1  23.00 

7.30 

lO.OO 

03 

Di.Unet, . 

7.07 

»          6 

»7 

.71 

Slight, 

5.30 

1.35 

05 

52 

Ootobor.       . 

Dwlilod, . 

2.0S 

0.7S 

1.00 

.13 

siiebi,    . 

3.25 

0.75 

2.00 

""^dlrty"" 

j  10.00 

0.10 

10.50 

00 

DlBtinct,  . 

7.55 

36          0 

20 

.81 

UiBtluct, 

0.50 

1.05 

4 

15 

50 

rr;: 

"r:; 

2.00 

::: 

z 

;;i 

Blight,    . 

z 

;:» 

Tl 

dirty. 
dirty, 

|Z 

10.20 

23.80            1 

z 

DLtlo.t,. 

7.15 

Z   I 

z 

z 

Dwiir. 

I'm 

LM 

' 

'! 

5, 

"""■  ■ 

- 

2.02 

I.Ol 

1.02 

.11. 

3.10 

...5 

2.21 

.10 

2...3 

0.5. 

1..3.            I 

39 

7.3. 

13          5 

02 

.7. 

5.31 

1.28 

• 

03 

51 

r 

1888.]  SENATE  — No.  4;  35 

the  months  lowest  in  chlorine  throughout  the  series  were 
July  and  August,  and  the  highest  November  and  December. 
If  we  had  only  the  chlorine  determination  at  South  Natick  in 
November  and  the  chlorine  at  VVatertown  in  Auofust,  the 
contamination  of  the  stream  as  shown  by  these  figures  from 
South  Natick  to  Watertown  would  be  as  54  to  59  (1  to  1.1), 
whereas  the  rel  ition  between  the  two  determinations  in  Au- 
gust shows  89  to  59  ( 1  to  1.69),  and  between  the  two  in 
November  as  54  to  80  (1  to  1.63).  The  evidence  of  pol- 
lution by  drainage  which  we  get  by  the  determination  of  the 
free  and  albuminoid  ammonia  must,  in  this  way,  always  be 
confirmed  by  the  evidence  furnished  by  the  contents  of  chlo- 
rine ;  but  to  be  sure  of  our  ground  we  must  know  that  the 
conditions  under  which  the  samples  were  taken  make  the 
determinations  fairly  comparable. 

The  nitrogen  in  the  form  of  nitrates  at  Watertown  is 
higher  than  in  the  upper  waters  of  the  Charles.  This  shows 
a  complete  oxidation  of  a  small  portion  of  the  nitrogenous 
matter,  presumably  of  animal  origin,  and  it  afibrds  an  addi- 
tional proof  of  previous  contamination.  The  process  of 
nitrification  is  not  very  active  in  river  waters,  and  the 
nitrates  do  not  there  assume  the  same  significance  as  Ihey 
do  in  s^round  waters. 


The  Blackstone  Eiver. 

The  Blackstone  River  affords  a  good  instance  of  intense 
pollution  of  a  stream  by  excessive  sewage  and  the  waste 
products  of  factories,  and  its  partial  purification  by  subse- 
quent dilution.  (See  Tables  Ilia  and  lllb.)  The  head  waters 
of  the  river,  represented  by  the  Holden  and  Leicester 
storage  reservoirs,  are  fairly  good  waters  of  moderate  color, 
with  a  marked  tendency,  in  the  Leicester  reservoir,  towards 
the  development  of  free  ammonia,  which,  however,  is  not 
accompanied  by  high  chlorine. 

The  river  about  one  mile  below  ^^'orcester,  after  having 
received  the  sewage  of  the  city  and  the  waste  liquors  from 
the  Washburn  &  Moen  Wire  Works,  is  excessively  foul. 
It  is  muddy  and  dirty  in  appearance,  and  full  of  dark  floccu- 
lent,  suspended  matter.      It  has  frequently  an  acid  reaction 


36  WATER   SUPPLY  AND    SEWERAGE.       [Jan. 

from  the  pickling  liquors.     The  water  at  this  point  may  be 
fairly  called  sewage. 

At  Ux'bridge  the  river  has  received  the  water  from  Lake 
Qiiinsigamond  and  other  tributaries,  and  shows  in  conse- 
quence some  improvement,  but  not  enough  to  enable  it  to 
be  called  anything  else  than  foul. 

At  Millville,  the  lowest  point  at  which  samples  have  been 
taken,  the  water  has  lost  some  of  its  objectionable  leatures, 
but  it  is  still  unfit  for  use  for  drinking.  The  mineral  mat- 
ters and  chlorine  at  this  point  are  not  excessive,  but  the 
high  free  ammonia  shows  the  continued  presence  of  putrefy 
ing  material. 

The  Merrimack  River. 

The  Merrimack  River  is  being  studied  (as  shown  in  Tables 
IVa  and  b)  at  six  points,  from  Nashua,  N.  H.,  to  Haver- 
hill, Mass.,  as  well  as  at  its  head  waters  at  Lake  Winnepi- 
seogee,  and  on  four  of  its  tributaries.  If  we  compare  the 
waters  of  the  Lake  with  that  of  the  Merrimack  at  Haverhill 
there  is  a  striking  difference  in  composition.  The  former  is 
colorless  and  of  high  purity,  and  the  latter  is  colored,  and 
carries  a  good  deal  of  organic  and  mineral  matter  in  suspen- 
sion and  solution.  Again,  if  we  compare  the  two  extremes 
on  the  river  itself  at  Nashua  and  Haverhill  we  still  notice  a 
wide  difference  in  character  At  Haverhill  the  free  ammo- 
nia is  double  that  at  Nashua,  the  albuminoid  ammonia  one 
and  a  half  times  as  much,  and  there  is  a  slight  increase  in 
the  nitrates  The  fixed  solids  are  increased  fourteen  per 
cent.,  the  volatile  solids  eleven  per  cent.,  and  the  chlorine 
twelve  per  cent. 

The  changes  between  the  stations  immediately  succeeding 
each  other  are  less  marked,  but  they  are,  in  general,  in  the 
line  of  progressive  contamination.  As  has  been  previously 
noted,  the  evideme  derived  from  the  solid  contents  and  the 
chlorine  is  more  uniform  in  this  regrard  than  that  derived 
from  the  nitrogenous  matter.  In  the  latter  we  notice  con- 
siderable fluctuation,  but  in  the  former  the  increase  is  quite 
uniform 

The  Merrimack  is  a  good  instance  of  the  ability  of  a  large 
river  to  receive  a  good  deal  of  polluting  material,  in  the 


TABLE  IV.     "A." 

m:eiirim:j^ck:    river. 

(ORGANIC  CONTENTS).    Parts  in-  100,000. 


w,»»,„.».„m„„,„L.K.v„x.... 

A,m.™.. 

,         A„„I.„w.,... 

0™™Low...,„„™„.Oo«oo„. 

A..V.I,™™™.., 

B..o.I.™»„. 

A.o™B.™„,„. 

c.,„r 

JZ,.. 

r:r 

'■"r° 

c.„. 

aITo,.. 

aIZT 

NU™.. 

CO.. 

A^... 

?rr 

Nllrogon 

o.,„. 

A  —  . 

r:r 

Nitrogen 

CO,. 

aJ::.,.. 

'^rr" 

NltroEon 

C.,„. 

aZI. 

r:r 

Nllrogon 

C.W. 

aJ:.!. 

"aLJ.,.'.' 

""7° 

July,     . 

I 

I 

I 

I 

Z 

» 

> 

E 

E 

: 

I 

?5t 

E 

E 

: 

J 

:: 

I's 

E 

003 

:: 

•""" 

::: 

E 

« 

: 

E 

E 

E 

:r 

M08 

IT^ 

Z 

TiaiBTJTARIES. 


TABLE   IV.     ■B." 
(MINERAL  CONTENTS).     P.vuTS  in  100,000. 


Wo,-K,r.«.ooE^  nn-Kn.  at  Lakk  Y.lt^ob. 

A,N.„™. 

^.„.o™„. 

0„...,.L.„„..„.v.„.o»»n.. 

..o™..™™. 

3™.™»n. 

.„„H™„u„,n. 

Turbidlly. 

IZ. 

Ignition. 

s'ut. 

»-• 

Turbidity. 

sIS; 

IgQltlOE. 

s^" 

--■ 

Turbidity. 

zz. 

iBnltlon. 

6^r. 

0M„„„. 

Turbidity. 

i:i 

S"lo°.°. 

sr. 

— 

Turbidity. 

sr. 

iBLltlon. 

sr. 

— ■ 

Turbidity 

s'r 

S::: 

.r. 

-"-• 

Tttrbldlty. 

IZ. 

i:;:,::. 

s'r 

— ■ 

July.    .       . 
Scplembcr,  . 

Blight,      . 

NODO,        . 
Slight,      . 

J.so 

I 

I 

"" 

•;: 

SLelt,      . 
■BIlBbi,      . 

^kd',1 

:: 

l.J. 

:: 

■': 

Slight.     . 

,,''«fiBht,  1 

Very         ( 

aJight,  1 

tS.15 

i!m 

r: 

'n 

Slight,     . 
Slight,     . 

^"llBlit,  1 

I'™ 

!'m 

»0 

■: 

Slight,     . 
Sliglit,     . 

4.M 

:■:: 

E: 

: 

E:: 

5 

: 

^50 

3.48 

: 

^  sKght, ! 

I 

: 

]J 

TRIBtlTARIES. 


K..,„„It„™,„C.,.„.. 

N™„K.™n,„K.„... 

A.„n..R.v„..,Non™..„..o.. 

Co>,co„.,,.,v™,„L=,vjnn, 

s„.,,„„.»  ■.,„„,„«•,..„».„». 

Turbidity. 

:z. 

Ignition- 

s'r. 

Cb,„l„. 

Turbidity, 

i:i 

IgUltlDD. 

Fixed 

Ob,.«„. 

Turbidlly. 

i:i 

Igiillion. 

jr. 

Cb,..n.. 

Turbidity. 

s™;.'. 

IgnitloD. 

Solid.. 

ObloHoo. 

Turljiaity. 

IZ 

Igoitloii. 

!1T1 

July,     .       . 
aeptCraber,  ■ 

^^ht,! 

Slight,     . 

SllBfit,     . 
SiiBht,    . 

:: 

!.: 

^ 

°-i 

... 

Slight,     . 

Slight,     . 

DlBllnot, . 

aiiBht.    . 

^ 

:: 

'iZ 

a.B 

20 

Slight,     . 

""t'.b.,l 

Slight,    . 

BilBllt,   .. 

I 

I 

it: 

I 

: 

: 

" 

,:. 

:. 

:,. 

.; 

"e'Xght,  t 

''"ibt,! 

Slight,     . 
BUght,  t 

' 

z 

E 

4.10 

:: 

1888.]  SENATE  — No.  4.  37 

form  of  sewage  and  manufacturing  refuse  from  large  cities, 
without  becoming  seriously  polluted.  It  has  in  this  re>*pect 
not  only  the  advantage  of  large  volume,  but  it  is  unusually 
well  aerated  by  agitation  in  rapids,  dams  and  water-wheels, 
which,  without  doubt,  have  some  influence  in  counteracting 
the  influence  of  the  organic  matter  How  far  the  results  of 
chemical  analysis  would  have  been  different  in  a  summer  of 
normal  rainfall  it  is  impossible  to  say.  By  referring  to  the 
tables  it  will  be  seen  that  the  water  samples  examined  were 
very  generally  turbid,  owing  to  the  frequent  and  heavy 
rains. 

The  tributaries  of  the  Merrimack  which  have  been  exam- 
ined, namely,  the  Nashua,  Assabet,  Concord  and  Shawsheen, 
are  all  less  pure  than  the  Merrimack  at  the  points  of  junc- 
tion, and  contribute  therefore  to  the  impurities  of  the 
Merrimack.  The  Shawsheen  is  characterized  by  its  high 
color,  and  its  corresponding  high  albuminoid  ammonia.  It 
is,  however,  generally  clear  and  free  from  sediment. 

III. 

Purification  of  Sewage  by  Applying  it  to  Land. 

In  England,  France  and  Germany,  and  to  a  limited  extent 
in  this  country,  sewage  has  been  satisfactorily  purified  by 
applying  it  to  land  used  for  growing  crops,  with  the  result 
that  the  water  flowing  from  underdraius  was  nearly  as  good 
as  the  supplies  of  drinking  water  of  those  countries,  so  far  as 
chemical  and  biological  examinations  could  determine. 

The  quantity  which  can  be  applied  depends  upon  the  per- 
meability of  the  soil  and  the  underlying  strata,  the  amount 
of  rainfall  and  the  character  of  the  crops. 

In  England  from  2,000  gallons  per  acre  per  day  to  6,000 
gallons  have  been  applied,  giving  an  average  of  a  little  more 
than  4,000  gallons  per  acre  per  day  where  the  rainfall  is 
twenty-two  inches  in  the  year. 

In  Germany  about  3,000  gallons  per  day  are  recorded, 
and  near  Paris,  in  a  very  open  sand,  about  11,000  gallons  per 
acre  have  been  applied  in  raising  cabbages,  but  this  amount 
would  drown  the  crops  on  any  land  that  could  be  cultivated 
without  irrigation. 


38  WATER  SUPPLY   AND    SEWERAGE.       [Jan. 

It  is  probable  that  upon  ordinary  farm  land  in  Massa- 
chusetts 2,500  gallons  per  day  per  acre  are  as  much  as  could 
be  applied  to  any  valuable  grass  crop,  and  there  would  be 
required  400  acres  of  irrigation  ground  for  each  million 
gallons  of  sewage.  Or  the  city  of  Lawrence,  using  sixty 
gallons  of  water  per  inhabitant,  would  require  an  irrigation 
field  of  1,000  acres,  or  one  quarter  of  the  area  of  the  city  to 
use  in  irrigation  the  dry-weather  sewage  of  the  city. 

We  may  then  conclude  that  desirable  as  the  use  of  sewage 
in  irrigation  is,  we  cannot  depend  upon  irrigation  alone  in 
the  mure  thickly  settled  parts  of  the  State  for  preventing 
the  pollution  of  streams. 

The  limit  to  the  quantity  that  can  be  applied  in  irrigation 
is  injury  to  the  crop.  Some  kinds  of  laud  are  found  to  be 
capable  of  purifying  a  much  larger  quantity  of  sewage  than 
the  crop  can  bear,  if  the  sewage  be  applied  at  intervals  of 
time,  leaving  the  land  to  drain  and  become  more  or  less  filled 
with  air  between  the  applications.  This  method  is  known  as 
intermittent  filtration.  By  this  method  the  suspended  matter 
is  retained  near  the  surface,  and  is  to  a  great  degree  burned 
up,  and  the  liquid  percolating  in  thin  and  broken  laminse 
comes  in  contact  with  the  air,  and  much  that  is  held  in  so- 
lution is  2::iven  up  or  changed,  and  the  effluent  proves  to  be 
eflfectually  purified. 

This  purification  was  at  first  supposed  to  be  due  to  the 
oxidizing  efiect  of  the  air,  but  the  experiments  of  Schloes- 
ing  of  France,  and  Frankland  and  Warington  of  England, 
prove  that  with  this  there  must  be  the  active  presence  of 
organisms  to  produce  nitrification. 

Schloesing  found  by  passing  sewage  through  glass  tubes 
filled  with  baked  sand  and  with  marbles, — 

First.     No  purification  was  produced. 

Second.  After  a  while  the  effluent  was  quite  clear  and 
free  from  organic  matter. 

Third.  Upon  applying  chloroform  to  the  tube,  purifica- 
tion stopped  and  did  not  commence  again  till  all  traces  of 
the  chloroform  were  washed  out. 

He  was  thus  confirmed  in  the  conclusion  that  purification 
requires  the  active  co-operation  of  organic  life. 

No  purifying  or  nitrifying  effect  being  produced  at  first 
by  sand,  in  which  organic  life  had  been  destroyed  by  heat, 


1888.]  SENATE  — No.   4.  39 

and  the  nitrifying  effect  beginning  after  sewage  had  been 
some  time  passing  through,  he  conchided  that  the  sewage  in- 
troduced the  nitrifying  elements,  and  that  as  their  [)urifying 
action  ceased  when  treated  with  cldoroform  and  began  again 
after  the  chloroform  was  washed  out,  he  concluded  these  ele- 
ments were  living  orijanisms. 

liobert  Warington  in  England  has  made  many  valuable 
experiments  upon  nitrilication  in  soils  and  waters,  and  being 
confirmed  in  the  view  that  it  is  due  to  living  organisms  has 
sought  to  determine  the  distribution  of  the  nitrifying  organ- 
ism in  the  soil,  and  concludes  that  it  is  practically  con- 
fined to  the  surface  soil  and  occurs  to  a  very  small  extent 
in  a  clay  subsoil  removed  two  or  three  feet  from  the  sur- 
face. 

Dr.  Frankland  of  England,  by  experiments,  passing  sew- 
age through  two-inch  glass  tubes  sixteen  feet  long,  filled 
with  sand  or  sand  and  chalk,  found  that  about  six  gallons  of 
London  sewage  can  be  satisfactorily  purified  per  cubic  yard 
in  twenty-four  hours.  He  concluded  that  purification  is  a 
process  of  oxidation,  the  products  being  carbonic  and  nitric 
acids,  consequently  a  continual  aeration  of  the  soil  is 
necessary. 

With  glass  cylinders  10|^, inches  in  diameter  filled  with 
about  five  feet  in  depth  of  soil,  he  found,  by  applying  sewage 
intermittently  and  at  diflerent  rates  to  different  soils,  the  fol- 
lowing results  :  — 

Darsley  soil;  a  light  brown  loam,  purified,  9.9  gallons 
per  cubic  yard  in  twenty-four  hours. 

Bennington  soil ;  a  porous  gravel,  which  had  been  used 
five  years  for  sewage  irrigation,  gave  7.6  gallons  per  cubic 
yard  in  twenty-four  hours,  of  effluent  "almost  as  good  as 
London  water." 

Hambrook  soil ;  a  light  reddish  sand,  did  not  at  first 
purify  but  after  a  fortnight  it  began,  but  would  not  purify 
more  than  4.2  gallons  per  cubic  yard  in  twenty-four  hours. 
-  Barking  soil ;  at  first  absorbed  some  fertilizing  ingredi- 
ents ;  but  with  3.8  gallons  in  twenty-four  hours  showed  in- 
creasing quantities  of  organic  matter  in  the  effluent  for  twelve 
weeks,  and  the  effluent  gradually  became  crude  sewage. 

The  results  with  sand  from  Hambrook  are  like  those  ob- 
tained by  Schloesing  with  sand  and  marbles.     It  took  some 


40 


WATER   SUPPLY  AND    SEWERAGE.       [Jan. 


time,  in  this  case  two  weeks,  before  the  effluent  began  to 
show  nitrilieation ;  whereas  when  loam  from  Darslev  was 
used,  or  soil  from  Bennington  which  had  pre^^ously  been 
treated  with  sewage,  nitrilieation  began  immediately. 

The  conclusion  reached  was  that  in  the  loam,  nitrifying 
organisms  existed  as  shown  by  Warington,  and  nitrification 
set  in  at  once,  while  they  did  not  exist  in  the  sand  and 
gravel  but  were  introduced  by  the  sewage  and  were  retained 
in  passing  over  the  particles  of  sand,  where  they  multiplied 
till  they  were  in  sufficient  number  to  effect  the  nitrification 
of  the  sewage. 

At  the  Clichy  Laboratory,  near  Paris,  experiments  were 
made  in  a  plate-glass  tank,  six  and  a  half  feet  high  and  about 
eight  inches  square.  One  inch  in  depth  of  Paris  sewage 
was  put  upon  this  sand  daily  for  five  years,  with  the  result 
that  the  sand  was  generally  clean,  after  the  five  years'  use. 

The  quality  of  the  effluent  was  excellent  as  shown  by  the 
following  analysis  in  parts  in  100,000  :  — 

Sewage  strained; 
I  Effluent. 

■  through  Paper. 


Ammoniacal  niti'ogen, 
Albuminoid  nitrogen, 
Niti'ic  niti'ogeu,     . 


2.69 

0.406 

0.04 


3.14 


.02 

.01 

1.96 


1.99 


Frankland's  experiments  with  sand,  and  with  sand  and 
chalk,  gave  the  following  results  when  discharging  5.6  gal- 
lons per  day  per  cubic  yard,  or  45,000  gallons  per  acre  if 
five  feet  deep  :  — 


Sewage. 

Effluext  — 

• 

Through 

Through 
Sand 

and  Chalk. 

Solids  in  solution,         ..... 

64.5 

77.6 

94.6 

Organic  carbon, 

4.386 

.734 

.582 

Organic  nitrogen, 

2.484 

.108 

.092 

Ammonia, 

5.557 

.012 

.016 

Nitrogen  as  nitrates  and  nitrites, 

.000 

3.925 

3.478 

Total  combined  nitrogen,     .... 

7.060 

4.043 

3.583 

1888.]  SENATE  — No.   4.  41 

The  effluent  t]irouo:li  Bennington  soil,  five  feet  deep  at 
the  rate  of  61,000  gallons  per  acre  per  day,  Dr.  Frankland 
said  was  "  almost  as  good  as  London  water." 

The  quantities  of  sewage  applied  in  intermittent  filtration, 
in  which  we  have  satisfactory  analyses  of  the  effluent,  are 
those  of  experiments  on  material  in  glass  tubes  having  areas 
from  three  square  inches  to  eighty-seven  square  inches,  and 
the  amount  of  sewage  applied  and  satisfactorily  purified 
varied  from  30,000  gallons  per  acre  per  day  to  80,000  gal- 
lons per  acre,  upon  a  bed  five  feet  deep.  One  soil  tested 
failed  to  purify  the  lesser  amount. 

The  amounts  repoiled  as  applied  to  various  filter  beds  in 
England  and  on  the  Continent  are  from  3G,000  to  90,000 
gallons  per  acre  per  day,  but  the  analyses  of  the  effluent 
when  given  are  not  so  satisfactory  as  those  obtained  in  the 
laboratories.  From  tliese  results  it  appears  that  filter  beds, 
if  of  proper  material,  can  purify  ten  or  twelve  times  as 
much  sewage  per  acre  as  can  be  applied  to  our  farm  lands  in 
irrigation. 

It  is  upon  the  basis  of  these  results  that  we  must  enter 
upon  experiments  to  determine  the  amount  of  sewage  we 
can  in  this  climate  purify  with  sucli  material  as  is  deposited 
in  our  valleys. 

At  present  no  one  can  tell  in  regard  to  any  area  that 
may  be  selected  the  character  of  the  effluent  that  will  result 
from  the  application  of  sewage  in  large  or  small  quantity,  nor 
the  efl'ect  of  our  winters  nor  of  long  storms  upon  the  effi- 
ciency of  the  bed,  nor  the  proper  intervals  for  application. 

This  knowledge  can  be  obtained  only  by  trial  and  careful 
observation.  To  make  such  trials  in  the  most  economical 
way  to  obtain  reliable  information  and  actual  additions  to 
the  knowledge  of  the  world  upon  this  subject  for  immediate 
and  urgent  use  in  this  State,  the  Board  of  Health  has  es- 
tablished an  experimental  station  and  is  now  actively  pur- 
suing the  investigation  in  regard,  first  to  the  soils,  sands 
and  gravels  to  be  found  in  its  neighborhood,  afterward  to 
be  replaced  by  those  which  may  be  proposed  for  such  use 
in  other  localities. 


42  WATER   SUPPLY  AND    SEWERAGE.       [Jan. 

Sewage  Experimental  Station   at  Lawkence. 

Wherever  sewage  is  to  be  iDurified  in  any  manner  it  is  im- 
portant on  the  ground  of  economy  that  it  be  collected  and 
conveyed  to  the  purifying  grounds  separate  from  and  un- 
diluted by  storm  water  or  surface  drainage,  and  in  seeking 
a  location  for  experiments  upon  the  filtration  of  sewage,  a 
supply  of  ordinary  city  sewage  undiluted  by  storm  water 
was  sought,  but  no  such  locality  in  the  State  being  available 
the  Board  found  many  advantages  in  locating  the  experi- 
mental station  in  the  city  of  Lawrence,  upon  the  north  bank 
of  the  Merrimack  River,  where  land  owned  by  the  Essex 
Company  was  placed  at  its  disposal  for  the  purpose. 

To  this  place  sewage  is  conveyed  in  a  two  and  a  half  inch 
pipe  of  galvanized  iron,  from  a  point  in  the  main  sewer  of 
the  city  about  1,000  feet  above  its  outlet,  a'nd  above  the  en- 
trance of  streams  from  the  manufacturing  establishments ; 
this  sewage  from  stores  and  from  the  dwellings  of  perhaps 
10,000  people  may  reasonably  be  regarded  as  ordinary  city 
sewage,  similar  during  very  dry  weather  to  sewage  separate 
from  storm  water,  but  during  wet  weather  very  much 
diluted  by  surface  drainage. 

The  iron  pipe  follows  the  sewer  to  its  outlet,  and  there 
rests  upon  the  bed  of  the  river  for  3,000  feet,  then  ex- 
tends 300  feet  within  the  filtering  grounds. 

The  filtering  grounds  comprise  about  two-thirds  of  an 
acre  with  surfiice  from  fifteen  to  twenty  feet  above  the  river 
in  summer.  The  material  of  the  field  is  fine  sand,  known 
as  river  silt,  deposited  by  the  river  upon  its  banks  at  times 
of  freshet. 

Within  this  area  the  Essex  Company  had  constructed  in 
former  years,  for  its  own  use,  a  building  three  hundred  feet 
long,  and  about  ten  feet  wide,  and  ten  feet  high,  nearly 
all  below  the  surface  of  the  ground,  lighted  by  windows  in 
the  roof. 

Within  this  building  was  a  drain,  and  above  this  a  Avooden 
flume  about  two  feet  wide  and  one  foot  high,  resting  on 
piles,  two  at  every  five  feet  of  its  length,  and  sloping  in  its 
length  about  one  foot  in  one  hundred  feet.  This  flume  is 
divided  at  each  twenty-five  feet  of  its  length  by  a  tight  par- 


1888.]  i    SENATE  — No.    4.  43 

tition,  each  section  forming  a  basin  twenty- five  foct  long, 
about  two  feet  wide  and  one  foot  liioh  and  containing:  be- 
tween  two  and  three  hundred  gallons.  Each  section  is 
jirovidcd  with  an  outlet  by  which  its  contents  may  be  turned 
into  the  drain  beneath. 

Outside  of  the  building,  in  the  field,  where  the  surface  of 
the  ground  is  seven  and  one  half  feet  above  the  upper  edge 
of  this  flume,  opposite  each  of  ten  of  the  !^ecti{)ns  of  twenty- 
five  feet  in  length  is  placed  a  wooden  tank,  buried  to  its  top. 
These  ten  tanks  were  made  of  cypress,  circular  in  phm, 
sixteen  feet  eight  inches  in  diameter  inside,  at  the  bottom, 
seventeen  feet  four  inches  at  the  top,  and  six  feet  drep 
inside. 

They  were  set  with  the  bottom  sloping  four  inches  in  its 
width  toward  the  building,  and  the  top  of  the  staves  cut 
level  with  the  low  side. 

They  rest  upon  mud  sills  and  a  bed  of  puddle,  and  before 
the  sides  were  puddled  in,  the  tanks  were  proved  to  be 
completely  water  tight. 

From  the  lowest  point  in  the  bottom,  a  two-inch  iron  pipe, 
through  the  ground,  conveys  drainage  trom  within  the  tank 
to  the  nearest  section  of  the  flume  within  the  building. 

In  each  tank  fifteen  feet  in  length  of  underdrain  of  horse- 
shoe section,  of  about  two  square  inches  in  area,  is  set  half 
an  inch  above  the  bottom,  and  the  floor  covered  with  one 
layer  of  coarse  gravel  stones  about  one  inch  by  two  inches, 
this  by  another  layer  of  smaller  size,  upon  which  follow 
layer  after^layer,  decreasing  in  size  to  one  eighth  of  an  inch 
in  diameter,  and  making  a  thickness  of  three  and  a  half 
incbes.  This  fine  gravel  is  covered  with  very  coarse  mortar 
sand,  with  top  surface  level,  three  and  one  half  inches  deep 
in  the  middle  of  the  tank. 

Above  this  substratum  the  several  tanks  are  filled  as 
follows  :  — 

Tank  No.  1.  Filled  with  five  feet  in  depth  of  very  coarse  clean 
mortar  sand,  taken  from  a  depth  of  six  or  eight  feet. 

Tank  No.  2.  Filled  with  five  feet  in  depth  of  very  fine,  nearly 
white  saud,  taken  from  a  pit  below  discoloration  by  weather. 

Tank  No.  3.  Filled  Avith  peat,  which  is  nearly  all  vegetable 
matter,  but  contains  a  little  mud.     The  top  of  the  peat  bed  which 


44  WATER   SUPPLY  AND   SEWERAGE.       [Jan. 

had  been  cultivated  was  removed  and  the  tank  filled  four  feet  with 
the  undisturbed  lower  layers,  and  one  foot  of  the  original  top 
layer  put  on  top. 

Tank  No.  4.  Filled  with  five  feet  in  depth  of  river  silt,  being 
mostly  a  very  fine  sand,  from  the  excavation  made  in  setting 
tank  No.  5. 

Tank  No.  5.  Filled  five  feet  deep  with  an  excellent  quality  of 
brown  soil  taken  from  a  garden  which  had  been  cultivated  many 
years,  and  manured  and  put  down  to  grass  last  spring. 

Tanks  No.  6,  7  and  8.  Filled  to  be  as  near  alike  as  possible, 
with  three  feet  eight  inches  of  coarse  and  fine  sand  and  fine 
gravel.  Ten  inches  of  yellow  sandy  loam,  and  six  inches  of  brown 
soil,  in  the  same  position  as  found  on  the  river  bank,  w^here  it  was 
covered  with  a  poor  growth  of  pine  trees. 

Tank  No.  9.  Filled  four  feet  three  inches  deep  with  a  very 
compact  sandy  hard  pan  of  clay,  sand  and  gravel,  from  Prospect 
Hill,  Lawrence,  covered  with  nine  inches  of  brown  soil. 

In  each  case  the  filterino:  material  was  thrown  scatter!  nsr 
into  water  which  partly  filled  the  tank. 

After  filling  each  tank  to  a  height  three  inches  below  the 
top,  a  little  sloping  bank  one  foot  wide  was  filled  around  the 
inside  of  each  tank,  of  the  same  material  as  the  upper  layer 
of  the  filter,  to  prevent  the  liquid  applied  reaching  the  side 
of  the  tank  too  freely. 

Tank  No.  10  is  for  the  present  used  for  the  measurement 
of  the  rain  fall  and  the  evaporation. 

Within  the  building  at  a  higher  level  than  the  top  of 
the  tanks  are  placed  two  measuring  basins,  into  which  the 
sewage  is  pumped,  and  by  a  scale  of  heights  indicating 
gallons  the  quantity  to  be  put  upon  each  filter  tank  is  noted, 
and  this  quantity  is  distributed  by  movable  hose  to  either 
of  five  tanks  from  one  measuring  basin,  and  to  the  other  five 
tanks  from  the  other  measurino^  basin.  Similar  scales  indi- 
eating  gallons,  in  the  basins  in  the  building  below  the  filter 
tank  outlets,  serve  to  measure  the  effluent  from  each  of  the 
filters. 

Samples  of  crude  sewage  from  the  upper  measuring  tanks, 
and  of  the  effluent  from  the  lower  measuring  basins,  are 
daily  submitted  to  chemical  and  biological  analysis. 

In  Jthc  field  beyond  the  filter  tanks  the  area  of  about  one- 
third  of  an  acre  is  sloped  in  the  direction  from  the  line  of 


1888.]  SENATE  — No.   4.  45 

tanks  a})out  one  foot  in  ten  feet,  and  in  the  direction  par- 
allel with  them  about  one  foot  in  one  hundred  feet.  This 
area  is  laid  out  in  shallow  drains  to  receive  sewage  for  fil- 
tration, underdrains  being  placed  sixty  feet  apart  to  catch 
samples  of  the  effluent. 

These  underdrains  are  put  at  the  depth  of  four  feet,  and 
slope  like  the  surface,  —  one  foot  in  ten  feet,  —  being  about 
fifty  feet  in  length,  opposite  tanks  Nos.  3  and  8,  and  oppo- 
site the  space  between  Nos.  5  and  6. 

Trenches  were  cut  two  feet  wide  and  the  bottom  coated 
with  two  inches  of  puddling  clay,  plastered  on  a  little  lower 
in  the  middle  where  the  two-inch  drain  tile  was  laid  with 
open  joints  and  surrounded  wath  six  inches  in  depth  of 
gravel. 

The  surface  drains  are  in  the  material  of  the  field  which 
for  several  feet  in  depth  is  a  fine  river  silt,  which  freezes 
about  as  readily  and  compactly  as  clay.  To  guard  against 
the  interference  of  this  hard  freezing,  shallow  trenches,  which 
follow  the  surface  of  the  field  in  slopes,  1  foot  in  30  feet,  1  foot 
in  50  feet,  and  1  foot  in  100  feet,  were  dug  out  one  foot  wide, 
with  the  bottom  level  of  the  same  width,  and  of  the  following 
depths  :  No.  1,  6  inches  deep ;  No.  2,  1  foot  deep ;  No.  5,  3 
feet  deep ;  No.  6,  2|  feet  deep  ;  and  filled  in  to  these  depths 
with  coarse  mortar  sand  similar  to  tank  No.  1. 

Trench  No.  7  was  dug  out  1^  feet  wide  and  2  feet  deep; 
and  trench  No.  8,  2  feet  wide  and  1-|  feet  deep,  and  filled 
with  the  same  sand.  These  trenches  are  filled  with  coarse 
sand  of  the  different  depths  and  widths,  to  determine  how 
much  of  such  material  is  necessary  to  prevent  trenches  in 
river  silt  from  freezing,  and  preventing  filtration  in  the 
coldest  weather.  These  trenches  have  the  surface  of  the 
sand  about  four  inches  below  the  level  of  the  ground  adja- 
cent, except  near  their  lower  end,  where  in  fifty  feet  it 
increases  to  ten  inches  below. 

They  are  about  five  feet  apart,  and  in  length  as  follows  : 
No.  1,  113  feet;  No.  2,  152  feet;  No.  3,  195  feet;  No.  4, 
221  feet ;  No.  5,  17G  feet ;  No.  6,  218  feet ;  No.  7,  203  feet ; 
No.  8,  177  feet. 

Before  applying  sewage  to  the  tanks  and  trenches  it  was 
thought  best  to  see  what  effect  these  several  filtering  mate- 


46  AYATER   SUPPLY  AND    SEWERAGE.       [Jan. 

rials  would  produce  upon  drinking  water,  and  at  the  same 
time  to  determine  the  limiting  quantity  that  could  be  passed 
through  a  layer  of  each  material  five  feet  deep  most  com- 
pletely underdrained. 

With  this  in  view  arrangements  were  made  with  the 
Water  Board  of  the  city  of  Lawrence  to  supply  the  experi- 
mental station  with  water,  free  of  cost  to  the  State,  the 
Board  of  Health  communicating  to  the  Lawrence  Water 
Board  such  results  of  its  experiments  upon  drinking  water 
as  may  be  of  service  to  that  Board. 

The  results  of  these  experiments  made  to  the  present 
time  are  now  given  in  detail  for  each  tank :  — 

Filter  Tank  m.  1. 

Filled  with  very  coarse  mortar  sand.  The  tank  contains 
about  9,500  gallons  of  sand  which  was  thrown  into  water 
and  left  saturated  a  month,  when  the  water  which  flowed  out 
readily  amounted  to  1,200  gallons  in  one  hour,  and  1,750 
gallons  in  one  and  one-half  hours,  after  which  the  rapidity 
of  flow  gradually  decreased,  2,100  gallons  having  flowed  out 
in  11  hours  and  2,220  gallons  at  the  end  of  72  hours  when 
the  rate  of  flow  was  six-tenths  of  a  gallon  in  an  hour. 

About  one-fifth  of  the  cubic  contents  of  the  tank  flowed 
out  in  two  hours. 

The  drainage  was  continued  one  week,  durino-  which  time 
145  gallons  of  rain  fell  into  the  tank,  150  gallons  of  the 
efliuent  came  from  the  gravel  and  unclerdrains,  and  the 
filtering  material  contained  a  little  more  than  2,000  gallons 
of  air. 

Sand  similar  to  this  in  tank  No.  1  has  been  examined  and 
found  to  contain  about  35  per  cent,  of  air  space  when  per- 
fectly dry.  It  follows  that  at  this  time  this  tank  of  9,500 
gallons  of  sand  contained  2,000  gallons  of  air  and  1,325 
gallons  of  water. 

Into  this  was  poured  daily  136  gallons,  or  the  equivalent 
of  one  inch  in  depth  over  the  surface  of  the  sand,  of  water 
drawn  from  the  city  service  pipes  from  Novemlier  14  to 
November  20  ;  then  408  gallons  daily  from  November  21  to 
November  26  ;  none  added  on  November  27  ;  544  gallons 
daily  from  November  28  to  December  6  ;  1,000  gallons  daily 


1888.]  SENATE  — No.    4.  47 

from  December  7  to  December  11  ;  and  4,000  gallons 
daily  from  December  12  to  December  16. 

This  water  being  applied  with  considerable  care,  to 
spread  it  over  the  surface,  must  have  pushed  before  it  a 
large  part  of  the  1,325  gallons  already  in  the  tank,  before  it 
appeared  at  the  outlet ;  how  large  a  part  we  have  not  yet 
the  means  of  determining  with  certainty.  Probably  it  did 
not  appear  until  1,000  gallons  had  passed  out,  or  until  seven 
days  after  the  first  of  the  136  gallons  was  applied.  Com- 
paring the  quality  of  the  water  applied  with  that  which 
flowed  out  after  1,000  gallons  had  passed  after  each  change 
in  quantity,  we  have  given  in  the  following  table  the  mean 
result  of  the  chemical  analyses  of  applied  water,  and  the 
effluent  from  this  tank  during  the  application  of  each  of 
the  quantities  of  water. 

These  results  show  a  progressive  improvement  in  the 
filtered  water  for  the  five  weeks  that  the  filter  was  in  use, 
up  to  the  end  of  filtering  1,000  gallons  per  day,  and  a  slight 
decrease  in  percentage  of  impurities  removed  while  4,000 
gallons  per  day  were  flowing  through. 

The  general  results  at  this  tank  to  December  16  are  : 
Removing  the  color  completely ;  reducing  the  organic 
matter  to  ^  ;  reducing  the  free  ammonia  to  ^  ;  reducing  the 
albuminoid  ammonia  to  nearly  ^  ;  reducing  the  chlorine  to 
I",  and  reducing  the  nitrates  to'  |  of  the  amounts  in  the 
applied  water. 

From  December  17  to  23  this  tank  was  supplied  with  230 
gallons  daily  of  efliuent  from  tank  No.  5,  which  is  filled  with 
garden  soil,  with  the  mean  result  given  in  the  table. 

The  color  was  removed.  The  organic  matter,  which  is 
the  loss  on  gently  igniting  the  solid  residue  on  evaporation 
of  the  water,  reduced  to  one-quarter  and  the  ammonia  to  one- 
seventeenth  of  the  applied  water  ;  the  chlorine  reduced  from 
0.45  to  0.24  and  the  nitrates  unchano;ed. 

From  December  24  to  December  30  this  tank  was  again 
supplied  with  4,000  gallons  of  city  water  per  day,  with 
nearly  the  same  general  result  as  when  previously  applied. 


48 


WATER   SUPPLY  AND   SEWERAGE.       [Jan. 


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1888.]  SENATE  — No.   4.  49 

Filter  Tank  No.  2. 

From  8,500  gallons  of  fine  sand  in  this  tank  650  gallons 
of  water  or  seven  and  a  half  per  cent,  of  the  contents  flowed 
out  readily.  Of  this,  500  gallons  flowed  out  in  22  hours  and 
150  gallons  in  42  hours  more. 

After  draining  six  days  830  gallons  had  flowed  out  and 
145  gallons  had  been  supplied  by  rain,  leaving  in  the  8,500 
gallons  of  sand  685  gallons  of  air. 

The  sand  of  this  tank  and  the  material  of  the  other  tanks 
to  follow  has  not  yet  been  examined  to  determine  how  much 
water  can  be  added  to  saturate  a  perfectly  dry  mass  of  it, 
but  it  will  for  present  purjDoses  be  assumed  to  be  three-tenths 
of  the  whole  mass,  except  in  case  of  tank  No.  3. 

Three-tenths  of  8,500  gallons  gives  us  2,550  gallons  of 
water  when  saturated,  but  ^%h  gallons  had  been  withdrawn, 
leaving  in  the  tank  1,865  gallons  of  water  and  685  gallons 
of  air. 

Into  this  were  poured  136  gallons  of  city  water  daily, 
from  November  14  to  November  26  ;  272  gallons  daily,  from 
November  28  to  December  11 ;  and  1,000  gallons  daily, 
from  December  12  to  December  18,  after  which  sewasfe  was 
applied.  The  mean  results  of  the  chemical  examinations  for 
each  stage  are  given  in  the  following  table  :  — 


50 


WATER   SUPPLY  AND    SEWEEAGE.       [Jan. 


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1888.]  SENATE  — No.  4.  '         51 

The  ai)plicd  waters  of  each  stage  arc  compared  with  the 
effluent  which  came  after  1,800  galk^is  had  flowed  out  after 
the  beginning  of  tlie  application. 

These  results  show  a  very  decided  improvement  in  the 
filtered  water  the  longer  the  filter  was  used  and  the  greater 
the  quantity  of  water  put  on  daily ;  the  organic  matter 
burned  out  decreasing  from  0.80  to  0.57,  and  the  sum  of 
the  ammonia  from  .OOGo  through  .0036  to  .0026,  and  the 
nitrates  increased  from  .007  through  .010  to  .013. 

The  final  results,  which  are  the  best,  are  with  1,000 
gallons  a  day  flowing  through  the  tank  and  are  :  Removing 
the  color  completely ;  reducing  the  organic  matter  to  y*^  ; 
reducing  the  free  ammonia  to  -^^  ;  reducing  the  albuminoid 
to  -J- ;  leaving  the  chlorine  unchanged  ;  reducing  the  nitrates 
to  I  of  the  amounts  in  the  applied  water. 

City  sewage  was  applied  to  tank  No.  2  from  December 
19  to  23,  at  the  rate  of  136  gallons  per  day,  when  it  was  in- 
creased to  272  gallons  per  day. 

The  results  are  presented  in  the  table,  and  up  to  the 
present  time  show  an  effluent  which  is  chemically  about  as 
good  as  the  city  water  which  has  been  applied  previously, 
but  the  chlorine  and  albuminoid  ammonia  have  been  increas- 
ing: since  the  sewage  be^an  to  come  through,  and  further 
time  is  necessary  before  making  a  conclusion  as  to  the  con- 
tinued action  of  this  filter  upon  this  quantity  of  sewage. 
The  effluent  is  bright,  clear  and  colorless. 

Filler  Tank  JSTo.  3. 

From  8,500  gallons  of  muck  230  gallons  flowed  out  in 
twenty-four  hours,  and  500  gallons  in  one  hundred  and 
seven  hours,  when  the  rate  of  flow  was  about  two  gallons 
per  hour,  but  the  amount  of  air  left  in  the  muck  cannot  be 
stated,  because  as  the  water  flowed  out  the  muck  settled. 

The  water  began  to  flow  out  November  9.  Up  to  Novem- 
ber 17,  136  gallons  of  water  had  been  put  on  from  the 
city  main,  and  334  gallons  from  rain,  making  470  gallons 
applied.  Eight  hundred  and  tAventy-six  gallons  had  flowed 
out  and  near  an  inch  in  depth  stood  upon  the  surfiice ;  this 
with  ninety-four  gallons  from  rain,  kept  water  upon  the 
sm-face  till    November  26,  when  it    disappeared,    and  the 


52         'water   supply  AND    SEWERAGE.       [Jan. 

surface  was  left  to  dry  till  December  3,  from  which  elate 
to  December  13  fifty  gallons  per  day  were  applied,  but 
this  accumulating  on  the  surface  was  discontinued. 

The  quantity  flowing  through  the  tank  has  gradually  de- 
creased until  it  has  become  less  than  one  gallon  an  hour, 
although  the  surface  is  continually  covered  with  water. 

The  quality  of  the  water  flowing  fiom  this  tank  after  the 
first  two  weeks  has  been  nearly  constant,  and  is  expressed 
by  the  following  mean  of  ten  chemical  examinations  : — 

Total  residue  on  evaporation, 13.20 

Loss  on  ignition, 3.07 

Fixed, 10.13 

Free  ammonia, 0058 

Albuminoid  ammonia, 0239 

Chlorine, 1.26 

Nitrogen  as  nitrites  and  nitrates, 017 

Nitrites,         .        .        .        .       ' Present. 

The  applied  water  consisted  of  about  510  gallons  of  rain 
and  636  gallons  of  city  water. 

The  color  of  eflluent  was  less  than  that  of  applied  water. 

The  organic  matter  is  more  than  doubled. 

The  ammonias  are  higher  than  those  of  the  city  water, 
and  lower  than  those  of  the  rain  water. 

The  chlorines  are  greatly  increased,  being  four  times 
those  of  the  city  water,  but  are  growing  less. 

The  nitrates  have  increased  from  .012  to  .018,  and  in  the 
latter  half  of  the  time  have  been  about  the  same  as  those  of 
the  city  water. 

On  the  whole  the  effluent  from  this  tank  is  not  as  good  as 
the  applied  water,  and.  the  small  amount  that  passes  through 
renders  this  material  of  little  value  as  a  filtering  material. 
This  amount  is  but  1,800  gallons  per  day  per  acre,  in  excess 
of  the  average  rain  falling  upon  it. 

From  December  26,  city  sewage  to  the  amount  of 
twenty-five  gallons  has  been  applied  daily,  and  when  rain 
fell  in  suiEcient  quantity  to  cover  the  surface  it  has  been 
bailed  out ;  seventy-five  gallons  being  taken  out  on  De- 
cember 29. 

Up  to  the  present  time  no  effect  of  sewage  is  noticeable 
in  the  effluent,  probably  none  has  gone  entirely  through  the 
filtering  material. 


1888.]  SENATE  — Xo.   4.  53 

FVter  Tank  Ro.  4. 
From  8,500  gallons  of  river  silt,  550  gallons  of  water 
flowed  out  in  seventy -eight  hours  without  appreciable  settle- 
ment of  the  sand,  although  the  surface  cracked.  The  sand 
then  contained  about  550  gallons  of  air,  and  about  2,000 
gallons  of  water.  Into  this  was  poured  daily  136  gallons 
of  water  from  November  14  to  26,  and  272  gallons  daily 
from  November  28  to  December  7. 

On  one  of  these  days,  December  1,  when  the  tempera- 
ture was  4*^,  the  surface  of  this  tank  froze  and  prevented  the 
passage  of  water.  Outside  of  the  tank  river  silt  was  found 
to  be  frozen  to  a  depth  of  eight  inches,  or  about  equal  to 
that  of  clayey  hard  pan. 

Continued  application  of  the  water  at  temperature  of  about 
40^^  on  the  following  day  caused  the  frozen  surface  to  melt 
and  let  water  through.  To  avoid  stopping  the  experi- 
ments on  this  tank  in  still  colder  weather  a  change  was  made 
in  the  surface  by  excavating  trenches,  and  filling  them  with 
the  coarse  sand,  like  that  in  tank  No.  1.  The  outer  trench 
was  one  foot  from  outside  of  tank,  one  and  one  half  feet 
deep  and  two  feet  wide.  The  inner  trench  was  five  feet 
from  the  outside,  tVvo  feet  deep  and  one  and  one  half  feet 
wide,  and  in  the  centre  was  excavated  and  filled  with  the 
sand,  a  cylinder  sixteen  inches  in  diameter,  and  three  feet 
deep.  These  trenches  receive  the  water  immediately  below 
the  surface,  and  enable  a  much  larger  quantity  of  water  to 
be  put  upon  this  tank  than  formerly. 

The  maximum  flow  from  the  tank  when  13G  gallons  were 
applied  was  fifteen  gallons  per  hour.  When  272  gallons 
were  applied  it  was  24  gallons  per  hour  before  the  change, 
and  Qb  gallons  per  hour  after  the  change  ;  and  with  ]  ,000 
gallons  per  day  the  maximum  flow  was  110  gallons  per  hour. 

After  the  change  the  amount  of  water  left  in  the  tank 
when  drained,  after  272  gallons  were  applied,  was  probably 
about  1,700  gallons.  The  272  gallons  were  continued  daily 
from  December  8  to  11,  and  1,000  gallons  daily  from 
December  12  to  18,  then  136  gallons  of  sewage  were 
applied  daily  from  December  19  to  23,  and  272  gallons  of 
sewage  from  December  24  to  31. 

The  mean  results  of  the  chemical  analyses  for  each  quau- 
ity  applied  are  given  in  the  following  table  : — 


54 


WATER   SUPPLY  AND    SEWERAGE.       [Jan. 


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1888.]  SENATE  — No.   4.  55 

The  effluent  from  the  original  tank  wa^  not  as  good  as  the 
applied  water,  nor  did  it  improve  after  the  change,  while 
272  gallons  were  applied. 

Before  and  after  the  change  when  272  gallons  were  ap- 
plied the  results  were  : — 

The  removal  of  color ;  a  considerable  increase  in  the 
fixed  solids;  a  slight  increase  of  organic  matter;  a  large 
increase  in  the  free  ammonia,  with  a  decrease  in  the 
albuminoid  ammonia,  leaving  the  sum  of  the  ammonias 
ten  to  lifteen  per  cent,  greater ;  the  chlorine  unchanged ; 
and  the  nitrates  at  first  less  became  greater  than  in  the 
applied  w-ater.  While  1,000  gallons  were  applied  to  the 
changed  material  the  effluent  improved  and  became  better 
than  the  applied  water,  and  continued  improving,  while  the 
lesser  quantity^of  136  gallons  daily  was  passing  through  after 
the  application  of  sewage  to  the  top  and  before  it  reached 
the  bottom.  The  sewage  applied  on  December  19  gave 
the  first  indication  of  reachino-  the  outlet  on  December  27 
by  a  slight  increase  in  the  chlorine  from  0.23  of  the  previous 
days  to  0.29,  but  on  December  29  it  became  certain  by  the 
increase  of  the  chlorine  to  0.63,  of  the  nitrates  from  .032  to 
.058,  and  of  the  organic  matter  from  0.87  to  1.85. 

The  effluent  from  sewage  has  to  the  present  time  con- 
tinued to  increase  in  impurities,  and  on  January  5  the 
organic  matter  w^as  twenty  per  cent.  ;  the  free  ammonia  one 
half  of  one  per  cent.  ;  and  the  albuminoid  ammonia  one  and 
one  quarter  per  cent,  of  that  of  the  applied  sewage.  The 
chlorine  had  increased  to  three  quarters  of  that  of  the  sewage, 
and  the  nitrates  had  increased  sevenfold. 

Filter  Tank  JVb.  5. 

From  the  8,500  gallons  of  garden  soil,  400  gallons  of 
water  drained  out  in  seventy-four  hours  w^hen  the  rate  of 
flow  became  one  and  one  half  gallons  per  hour. 

There  was  slight  settlement  and  some  cracking  of  surface, 
which  cracks  were  afterwards  filled  with  soil.  This  tank  is 
reojarded  as  then  containino^  2,100  o-allons  of  water. 

There  w'ere  applied  136  gallons  of  city  water  daily  from 
November  14  to  26,  and  272  gallons  were  applied  daily  for 


56  WATER   SUPPLY  AND    SEWERAGE.       [Jan. 

a  week,  after  which  some  accumulated  on  the  surface  and 
the  quantity  was  gradually  reduced  to  230  gallons,  which  was 
continued  to  December  23.  The  water  evidently  dissolved 
impurities  from  the  soil  in  increasing  quantities  till  De- 
cember 9,  after  which  the  quantities  remained  nearly  con- 
stant. 

The  mean  results  of  the  chemical  analysis  for  each  quan- 
tity applied  are  given  in  the  following  table  :  — 


1888.] 


SENATE  — No.   4. 


57 


pUB  SOJUJIX 

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58  WATEE   SUPPLY  AND   SEWERAGE.       [Jan. 

The  color  of  the  effluent,  slight  at  first,  grew  deeper  as  the 
experiments  continued,  but  not  as  deep  as  that  of  the  applied 
water.  The  fixed  and  volatile  solids  were  both  increased 
nearly  two  and  a  half  times  that  of  the  applied  water.  The 
free  ammonia  was  increased  to  thirty  times  and  the  albumi- 
noid ammonia  five  times  that  of  the  applied  water. 

The  chlorine  was  doubled  and  the  nitrates  decreased  to 
one  third,  but  as  the  use  continued  the  chlorine  at  first  large 
grew  less,  approaching  that  of  the  applied  water,  and  the 
nitrates,  at  first  small,  increased,  to  be  nearer  that  of  the 
applied  water. 

Filter  Tank  J^o.  6. 

From  8,500  gallons  of  material  consisting  of  about  6,236 
gallons  of  gravel  and  sand,  1,414  gallons  of  yellow  subsoil 
and  850  gallons  of  brown  soil,  about  950  gallons  of  water 
flowed  out  in  forty  hours,  ending  with  a  rate  of  flow  of  four 
gallons  per  hour,  which  rate  was  rapidly  decreasing.  The 
tank  then  contained  950  gallons  of  air,  which  was  one-ninth 
of  its  volume,  and  probably  1,600  gallons  of  water.  Into 
this  was  poured  daily  136  gallons  of  water  from  November 
16  to  26,  then  272  gallons  from  November  28  to  December 
14.  On  December  15  the  six  inches  of  soil  was  removed 
from  the  tank  and  the  water  applied  directly  to  the  surface 
of  the  yellow  subsoil. 

The  mean  results  of  the  chemical  analyses  for  each  quan- 
tity applied  are  given  in  the  following  table  :  — 


1888.] 


SENATE  — No.   4. 


59 


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60  WATER   SUPPLY  AND   SEWERAGE.       [Jan. 

These  results  show  the  water  much  improved  from  the 
first,  and  an  increased  improvement  with  continued  use. 
With  136  gallons  applied  daily  the  color  was  entirely  re- 
moved :  the  ors^anic  matter  was  reduced  from  1.25  to  0.85  : 
the  free  ammonia  was  reduced  from  .0025  to  .0007,  and  the 
albuminoid  ammonia  from  .0124  to  .0041.  The  chlorine 
was  increased  from  .29  to  .75,  and  the  nitrates  decreased 
from  .019  to  .001. 

AVhile  applying  272  gallons  the  efficiency  of  the  filter  in- 
creased, reducing  the  impurities  generally  25  per  cent,  more, 
and  bringing  the  chlorine  to  agree  with  that  of  the  applied 
water.  After  removing  the  soil  from  the  tank,  and  applying 
the  water  directly  to  the  subsoil  for  two  weeks,  the  remain- 
ing material  gave  results  nearly  identical  with  those  obtained 
with  the  soil,  showing  in  tliis  case  that  the  soil  was  of  no 
advantage  or  disadvantage  in  filtering  this  drinking  water. 

On  December  30,  the  ten  inches  of  yellow  subsoil  being 
removed,  water  is  now  applied  directly  to  the  surface  of  the 
sand  and  gravel. 

FilUr  Tanh  JSfo.  7. 

This  tank,  filled  with  similar  material  to  No.  6,  when  sat- 
urated yielded  1,200  gallons  in  forty  hours  without  apparent 
settlement,  ending  with  a  rate  of  flow  of  about  three  gallons 
per  hour,  and  estimated  as  then  containing  1,300  gallons  of 
water.  Into  this  8,500  gallons  of  material  containing  about 
1 ,200  gallons  of  air  and  1,300  gallons  of  water,  272  gallons 
of  water  were  applied  daily  from  November  1 6  to  November 
26  ;  408  gallons  daily  were  put  on  after  November  28,  when 
the  tank  would  receive  it,  but  owing  to  frost  a  part  of  the 
time  and  silting  up  of  the  surface  the  quantity  applied  was 
less.  From  November  28  to  December  7  it  averaged  362 
gallons ;  from  December  8  to  14,  364  gallons,  and  from  De- 
cember 15  to  27,  312  gallons. 

The  mean  results  of  the  chemical  analyses  for  each  stage 
are  given  in  the  following  table  :  — 


1888.] 


SENATE  — No.   4. 


61 


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62  WATER    SUPPLY  AND    SEWEEAGE.       [Jan. 

The  result,  generally  stated,  is  a  decided  improvement  of 
the  water  from  the  first,  with  increased  improvement  for  a 
month,  after  which  the  effluent  remained  nearly  constant 
with  the  following  relation  to  the  applied  water :  The  color 
was  completely  removed,;  the  fixed  solids  were  reduced 
slightly;  the  organic  matter  from  1.20  to  0.42;  the  free 
ammonia  reduced  from  .0029  to  .0005,  and  the  albuminoid 
ammonia  from  .0132  to  ,0031 ;  the  chlorine  unchanged, 
and  the  nitrates  reduced  from  .016  to  .001. 

Filter  Tank  No.  8.  - 

This  tank,  filled  with  material  similar  to  that  of  No.  6  and 
of  No.  7,  when  saturated  yielded  1,150  gallons  in  40  hours 
without  apparent  settlement,  ending  with  a  rate  of  flow  of 
about  three  gallons  per  hour. 

Into  this  8,500  gallons  of  material  containing  about  1,150 
gallons  of  air  (and  probabl}"  1,400  gallons  of  water),  408 
gallons  of  water  were  poured  daily  from  November  16  to 
26  ;  then  an  average  of  475  gallons  per  day  from  November 
28  to  December  7,  after  which  an  efi'ort  was  made  to  keep 
the  tank  continually  coA^ered  with  water,  and  from  December 
8  to  16  the  average  quantity  flowing  through  was  564  gallons 
per  day.  On  December  16  a  faucet  was  attached  to  the 
outlet  and  the  stream  regulated  so  that  no  air  should  enter 
the  tank  through  the  drain  pipe. 

The  mean  results  of  the  chemical  analyses  are  given  in  the 
following  table  :  — 


1888.] 


SENATE  — No.   4. 


63 


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64  WATER    SUPPLY  AND    SEWERAGE.       [Jan. 

For  the  first  month  there  was  a  continually  increasing 
improvement  in  the  quality  of  the  effluent.  The  color  was 
entirely  removed.  The  organic  matter  that  could  be  burned 
out  of  the  applied  water  being  1.24  became  in  the  effluent 
0.42,  0.57  and  0.40  successively.  The  free  ammonia  from 
.0025  became  .0006,  .0004  and  .0002  ;  and  the  albuminoid 
ammonia  from  .0132  became  ,0046,  .0029  and  .0024.  The 
chlorine  from  0.30  became  0.34,  0.31  and  0.26,  while  the 
nitrates  from  0.19  in  the  applied  water  became  successively, 
.000,  .003  and  .005. 

After  air  was  excluded  from  the  top  and  bottom  of  the 
filtering  material  the  ammonias  slowly  became  a  little  higher, 
but  the  change  has  been  very  slight  in  the  two  weeks  of  the 
trial. 

Filter  Tank  JV^o.  9. 

This  tank  filled  with  7,200  gallons  of  clay,  sand  and 
gravel  such  as  forms  the  hard  pan  of  many  drift-hills  in 
Eastern  Massachusetts,  covered  with  1,300  gallons  of  brown 
soil,  discharged  400  gallons  of  water  in  one  month.  No 
water  was  put  upon  the  surface  because  it  w^as  kept  continu- 
ally covered  by  rain.  The  first  200  gallons  had  a  slight 
tinge  of  color.  Its  volatile  solids  amounted  to  4.50  and 
fixed  solids  to  14.63  ;  the  free  ammonia  to  .0047  and  albu- 
minoid ammonia  to  .0129,  chlorine  to  2.33  and  nitrates  to 
.003. 

The  last  200  gallons  had  no  color.  The  volatile  solids 
amounted  to  4.75  ;  the  fixed  solids  to  13.79  ;  the  free  ammo- 
nia to  .0013  ;  the  albuminoid  ammonia  to  .0064  ;  the  chlorine 
to  2.88  and  the  nitrates  to  .003. 

This  appears  to  be  a  result  slowly  changing  for  the  better. 
The  analysis  of  the  principal  rain  which  fell  in  this  month 
showed  it  to  have  .0390  of  free  ammonia,  .0124  of  albumi- 
noid ammonia,  .04  of  chlorine  and  .002  of  nitrates,  but 
it  is  not  certain  that  any  of  this  rain  water  reached  the  out- 
let of  the  tank. 

It  is  important  to  know  the  characteristics  of  this  material 
as  affecting  the  w^ater  of  wells,  but  it  allows  so  little  water 
to  pass  through  that  it  has  no  value  as  a  filter  upon  which 
to  apply  sewage.     After  draining  one  and  one-half  months, 


1888.]  SENATE  — No.   4.  65 

and  l>eing  kept  covered  with  water,  the  rate  of  flow  is  but 
twelve  gaHons  per  day,  which  is  about  seven-tenths  of  the 
average  rainfall  upon  this  area. 

On  December  30  a  hole  was  cut  in  the  surface  of  this  tank 
nine  inches  through  soil  and  six  inches  into  wet  puddling 
material,  and  a  wooden  conductor  six  inches  square  inside 
and  four  feet  lon^;,  set  vertically  in  the  hole  and  filled 
around  tight  with  the  material  excavated  and  a  further  bank 
of  soil  built  up  around  it.  This  box  stands  fifteen  inches 
into  the  material  of  the  tank  and  the  top  stands  two  feet 
nine  inches  above  the  surface. 

Since  December  30  this  box  has  been  supplied  with  ten 
gallons  of  sewage  daily,  that  the  efliuent  may  show  the 
efiect  of  sewage  draining  constantly  through  such  material 
into  a  well. 

The  water  applied  to  the  tanks  and  the  effluent  have 
been  subjected  to  careful  microscopical  examination  by  Mr. 
G.  H.  Parker  of  Cambridge  with  the  following  general 
result :  — 

Of  the  twelve  plant  forms  and  one  animal  form  represen- 
ted by  many  of  each  Idnd  found  in  the  applied  water,  none 
have  been  found  in  the  effluent. 

In  the  effluent  from  most  of  the  tanks  have  been  found  a 
very  few  representatives  of  two  plant  forms  and  in  that 
from  one  tank  of  three  plant  forms  and  one  animal.  The 
plants  found  are  characteristic  of  ground  waters  and  are 
supposed  to  act  as  purifiers  by  living  upon  the  organic 
matter. 

Dr.  Edward  K.  Dunham,  bacteriologist  of  the  Board,  has 
taken  samples  of  the  applied  water  and  the  effluent  from 
each  of  the  filters  every  other  day  during  the  month  of 
December,  and  determined  the  number  of  bacteria  in  each 
sample  by  culture  plates. 

He  is  not  yet  ready  to  report  upon  the  difierence  of 
species  of  those  applied  and  those  coming  from  the  filters. 

The  following  table  gives  the  average  number  of  ^^able 
bacteria  in  one  cubic  centimeter  of  water  taken  from  each 
source  durino-  the  month  of  December  :  — 


66 


WATEE   SUPPLY  AND    SEWERAGE.       [Jan. 


Appliec 

1  water, 

.       68 

Xo. 

5, 

.      49 

No.  1, 

.       20 

6,     . 

.       17 

2, 

.       20 

7,     . 

.       18 

3, 

.       36 

8,     . 

55 

4, 

.       21 

9,     . 

.     107 

The  number  of  bacteria  found  in  a  cubic  centimeter  of  the 
applied  sewage  averaged  193,000.  On  January  3  the 
effluent  from  tank  No.  2  contained  6,618  and  on  January  5 
over  10,000  ;  and  the  effluent  from  tank  No.  4  on  January 
3  contained  95  and  on  January  5  a  great  increase ;  and 
some  of  the  species  from  the  effluent  are  the  same  as  in  the 
sewage. 

RECO]iDIEXDATIOXS . 

The  Board  recommends  the  continuation  through  the 
summer  and  fall  of  the  monthly  examination  of  all  of  the 
drinking  waters  of  the  State  which  are  subject  to  pollution 
by  sewage  or  by  low  stages  of  ponds  and  streams,  which 
owing  to  the  unusual  rainfall  of  the  past  summer  were  not 
then  found  in  an  ordinary  summer  condition,  and  the  contin- 
uation of  the  analysis  of  such  other  waters  at  intervals  as 
may  appear  desirable. 

The  Board  also  recommends  the  active  prosecution  of  the 
experiments  upon  the  purification  of  sewage,  recently  com- 
menced, through  the  coming  year,  and  the  prosecution  of 
such  additional  investigations  as  may  become  necessary  to 
properly  interpret  the  results  of  the  examination  of  water  and 
of  sewage. 

For  these  purposes  and  to  make  the  necessary  investiga- 
tions in  order  to  advise  cities,  towns,  corporations  and  indi- 
viduals in  regard  to  the  best  method  of  assuring  the  purity 
of  intended  or  existing  water  supplies,  and  the  best  method 
of  disposing  of  their  sewage,  and  to  carry  out  the  other  pro- 
visions of  chapter  274,  the  Board  estimates  that  the  sum  of 

$25,a00  will  be  required. 

H.  P.  WALCOTT, 
T.  K.  LOTHROP, 
H.  F.  MILLS, 

E.  U.  JONES, 

J.  H.  APPLETON, 

F.  W.  DRAPER, 
T.  C.  BATES, 

State  Board  of  Health. 


SENATE  — No.   4.  67 


REPORT   OF   THE   CHIEF   ENGINEER. 


To  H.  P.  Walcott,  M.  D.,  Chairman  State  Board  of  Health. 

Sir  :  —  Herewith  is  submitted  a  report  for  the  year  ending  Dec. 
31,  1887,  of  work  done  by  the  engineering  department  of  the 
Board  in  compliance  with  the  provisions  of  chapter  274,  Acts  of 
1886. 

The  main  work  of  this  department  during  the  year  may  be 
divided  into  two  classes  :  ( 1 ) ,  the  examination  of  proposed  plans 
or  schemes  of  water  supply  or  sewerage  submitted  by  the  various 
cities  and  towns  ;  (2),  the  examination  of  existing  water  supplies 
and  inland  waters  of  the  State  with  reference  to  then-  purity. 
Much  time, has  also  been  devoted  to  work  in  connection  with 
chapter  95  of  the  Resolves  of  1887,  relating  to  the  disposal  of 
the  sewage  of  the  Mystic  and  Charles  River  valleys,  of  which  no 
report  will  be  made  here. 

The  engineering  force  employed  at  the  beginning  of  the  year 
has  been  increased  by  the  addition  of  two  assistants  to  the  perma- 
nent force.  Other  temporar}'  assistants  have  been  employed  from 
time  to  time  as  their  services  were  needed,  chiefly  on  work  con- 
nected with  water  examinations. 

EXAJHNATIOX     OF     PROPOSED     PlAXS    OF     WaTER     SuPPLT     AND 

Sewerage. 

Under  the  provision  that  all  city  and  town  authorities  and  cor- 
porations shall  submit  to  the  Board  for  its  advice  outlines  of  theu" 
proposed  plans  and  schemes  in  relation  to  water  supply  and 
sewerage,  many  plans  have  been  submitted.  These  cases  and  the 
action  taken  upon  them  are  described  in  the  accompanying  report 
of  the  Board. 

Following  the  established  policy  of  your  Board,  I  have  made 
careful  examinations  of  the  location  of  proposed  works  of  water 
supply  and  sewerage,  and  of  such  other  localities  in  the  vicinity 
as  it  seemed  necessary  to  consider  in  order  to  ad%'ise  as  to  the 
most  appropriate  source  of  water  supply,  or  the  best  method  of 
disposal  of  the  sewage.  In  addition  to  these  examinations  all 
available  information  relating  to  the  project  has  been  gathered  as 
a  basis  for  a  written  report  to  your  Board.     During  the  year  seven 


68  WATER   SUPPLY  AND    SEWERAGE.       [Jan. 

such  reports  have  been  made  relathig  to  water  supply  and  eleven 
relating  to  sewerage. 

In  addition  to  these  examinations  and  reports,  four  cases  have 
been  specially  submitted  to  Mr.  Joseph  P.  Davis,  the  consulting 
engineer  of  the  Board,  who  has  made  an  examination  and  has  also 
reported  in  writing.  In  most  of  the  other  cases  he  has  considered 
the  schemes  in  a  more  general  way  and  has  furnished  advice 
verbally. 

Some  of  the  cases  presented  during  the  year  have  been  very 
important,  and  have  required  an  extended  investigation  to  develop 
the  facts  required  as  a  basis  for  sound  advice.  Among  these  may 
be  mentioned  the  application  of  the  cities  of  Boston,  Chelsea  and 
Somerviile,  and  the  town  of  Everett  with  reference  to  a  water 
supply  from  the  Shawsheen  River,  —  a  subject  which  required  more 
than  two  months  of  steady  work  of  the  office  force  for  its 
investigation,  —  and  the  application  of  the  city  of  Brockton  for 
ad^'ice  as  to  the  best  method  of  disposing  of  its  sewage,  which  re- 
quired many  days  to  be  spent  in  and  about  that  city,  aided  by  its 
engineer,  to  determine  as  well  as  could  be  without  actual  surveys 
of  each  place,  the  best  one  for  the  disposal  of  the  sewage  upon 
land. 

In  the  case  of  the  city  of  Boston  and  the  associated  municipali- 
ties, which,  as  they  are  all  supplied  by  the  city  of  Boston  with 
water  from  the  Mystic  works,  I  will  call  the  Boston  Water  Dis- 
trict, the  first  question  submitted  to  your  Engineer  was  in  re- 
gard to  the  length  of  time  the  present  sources  of  water  supply, 
when  fully  developed,  would  serve  Boston  alone,  or  this  'whole 
district. 

This  was  in  either  case  a  problem  of  three  principal  elements. 

1 .  The  population  to  be  supplied. 

2.  The  quantity  of  water  to  be  allowed  per  inhabitant. 

3.  The  capacity  of  the  sources  when  developed. 

In  considering  the  first  element  of  the  problem,  tables  and  dia- 
grams were  prepared  showing  the  population  from  1810  to  the 
present  time  of  the  present  territory  of  Boston  ;  of  the  Boston 
Water  District ;  of  the  territory  of  Boston  proper,  excluding  all 
annexation,  and  consequently  East  and"  South  Boston  ;  of  the  terri- 
tory in  1865,  prior  to  the  annexation  of  Roxbur}^,  Dorchester, 
West  Roxbury,  Charlestown  and  Brighton  ;  and  of  the  Metropoli- 
tan District,  comprising  all  cities  and  towns  within  a  limit  of  about 
nine  miles  from  the  State  House. 

The  past  experience  of  the  first  two  districts  indicated  a  some- 
what definite  law  governing  the  rate  of  increase,  and  was  thought 
to  be  the  best  basis  for  future  estimates.     The  others  were  con- 


1888.]  SENATE  — No.    4.  69 

sidcred  to  show  the  relations  of  the  first  two  to  the  whole  Metro- 
politau  District  and  the  effect  of  restricted  territory  upon  the 
future  rate  of  growth.       > 

The  future  popuhition  as  estimated  was  much  smaller  than  any 
previous  estimates  that  have  been  made  in  connection  with  the 
Boston  water  supply,  either  by  those  favoring  or  opposing  the 
addition  to  it  of  the  Shawsheen  River. 

It  has  been  customary  to  estimate  the  growth  of  cities  by  per- 
centages of  increase  in  a  given  time,  and  to  consider  these  per- 
centages as  somewhat  nearly  constant.  This  is  what  might 
naturally  be  expected  if  the  increase  in  population  was  wholly  due 
to  the  excess  of  births  over  deaths  ;  but  in  Boston  and  the  Boston 
Water  District,  this  rule  does  not  appear  to  apply,  since  the 
growth  in  each  five-year  period  from  1840  to  1885  was  approxi- 
mately constant  in  numbers  and  not  in  percentages.  This  result  is 
due,  in  part,  to  the  relation  of  emigration  to  immigration,  and  to 
the  encroachment  of  the  business  upon  the  residential  districts, 
taken  iu  connection  with  the  somewhat  limited  area  of  the  latter. 
1  refer  to  this  area  as  being  limited,  not  because  it  would  not  hold 
the  whole  growth  of  the  Metropolitan  District  for  many  years, 
but  because  there  is  a  much  larger  area  near  the  city,  which  offers 
nearly  equal  attractions  to  those  engaged  in  business  in  the  city. 

The  effect  of  limited  area  in  decreasing  the  rate  of  growth  is 
strikingly  shown  when  the  population  of  Boston  proper  (exclud- 
ing all  annexation)  is  examined.  In  1850  its  population  was 
113,721  ;  in  1855,  126,296,  an  increase  of  12,575  in  five  years. 
From  1880  to  1885  the  increase  in  five  years  was  but  63.  In  the 
present  territory  of  Boston  the  rates  of  increase,  during  the  same 
five-year  periods,  were  respectively  33,920  and  27,554  ;  while  in 
the  Metropolitan  District,  outside  of  Boston,  the  corresponding 
figures  were  21,040  and  37,214.  These  figures  indicate  that  the 
slower  rate  of  growth  of  Boston  is  due,  largely,  to  its  limited  ter- 
ritory, the  suburban  municipalities  absorbing  a  large  share  of  the 
growth. 

The  possibility  of  the  annexation  of  more  territory  was  con- 
sidered, but  it  was  found  impossible  to  predict  its  occurrence  or 
its  effect ;  some  of  the  places  suitably  situated  for  annexation 
having  a  limited  water  suppl}^  and  others  an  ample  supply  for  a 
long  time  iu  the  future. 

The  second  element  in  the  problem,  namely,  the  quantity  of 
water  to  be  allowed  per  inhabitant,  was  one  not  easily  answered. 
In  the  large  cities  of  this  country,  from  61  to  154  gallons  are  used 
daily.  Boston  used  66  gallons  iu  1870,  91  gallons  in  1883,  and 
74  gallons  in  1886.      On  the  last  date  measures  for  the  restric- 


70  WATER    SUPPLY  AND    SEWERAGE.       [Jan. 

tion  of  waste  were  in  force.  Of  the  large  cities,  the  smallest  con- 
sumption, 61  gallons,  is  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  and  it  contrasts  more 
strongly  with  the  74  gallons  used  in  Boston,  when  it  is  considered 
that  systematic  measures  to  restrict  waste  are  in  force  at  the  lat- 
ter place  and  not  at  the  former.  A  very  little  consideration  of 
the  subject  shows  one  important  difference  in  the  conditions  of 
the  two  places.  In  Boston,  in  addition  to  the  inhabitants,  a  large 
number  of  people  coming  from  the  suburbs  use  the  city  water 
during  the  day,  while  in  Brooklyn  the  reverse  is  true.  Both 
Boston  and  Brooklyn  have  adopted  the  polic}^  of  measuiing  water 
sold  to  large  consumers  ;  yet,  from  the  reports  of  the  two  places, 
it  was  found  that  the  metered  water  in  the  former  place  was 
equivalent  to  18  gallons  daily,  per  inhabitant,  while  in  the  latter 
it  was  only  one  gallon.  Some  of  the  large  users  of  water,  such  as 
hotels  and  steam  railroads,  in  a  business  centre  like  Boston,  are 
found  only  in  limited  numbers  in  a  city  like  Brooklyn,  occupied 
chiefly  by  dweUing-houses.  Correspondence  with  the  Brooklyn 
authorities  elicited  the  fact  that  many  of  the  large  consumers  of 
water  in  that  city  had  private  supplies  drawn  from  the  ground,  a 
thing  which  is  not  often  practicable  in  Boston.  Examinations  of 
this  kind  showed  that  the  legitimate  present  and  future  consump- 
tion of  water  in  Boston  could  not  properly  be  based,  to  any  great 
extent,  upon  the  experience  of  other  cities,  and  it  was,  conse- 
quently, necessary  to  study  carefully  the  present  legitimate  use 
of  water  in  Boston,  and  its  increase  in  the  past.  I  will  not  refer 
to  this  portion  of  the  investigation  in  any  detail,  but  will  mention 
that  it  was  a  very  careful  one,  and  it  showed  that  while  the  present 
consumption  of  water  in  Boston  could,  after  a  term  of  years, 
be  materially  diminished  by  the  business-like  application  of  known 
methods  of  restricting  waste,  j'et  there  was  a  legitimate  increase 
in  the  amount  of  water  used  per  inhabitant,  which  would  probably 
cause  the  legitimate  iise  to  rise  as  high  as  the  present  consumption 
at  the  end  of  about  thirty  years. 

The  third  element  of  the  problem  —  the  capacity  of  the  sources 
when  developed  —  could  be  more  accurately  answered  than  ever 
before,  because  of  extended  surveys,  then  about  completed,  made 
by  the  city  of  Boston  for  the  purpose  of  ascertaining  the  capac- 
ity and  cost  of  storage  reservoirs  requii-ed  to  develop  these 
sources.  "With  these  new  data,  and  the  records  of  the  very  dry 
years  of  1880  and  1883,  the  result  was  obtained  that  the  Sud- 
bury and  Cochituate  sources  would  yield  for  the  purposes  of  the 
city  water-supply  fully  50,000,000  gallons  per  day.  This  quantity 
was  based  upon  the  record  of  years  so  much  dr3'er  than  any  other 
in  the  history  of  the  Boston  Water  Works,  that  it  did  not  seem 


1888.]  SENATE— No.    4.  71 

necessary  to  make  further  allowance  for  the  occurrence  of  two  such 
years  in  succession,  or  for  the  occurrence  of  still  dryer  years, 
particularly  as  many  years  would  elapse  before  the  consumption 
of  water  would  approach  this  quantity,  and  there  would  then  be 
further  experience  to  draw  from. 

Having  drawn  from  these  three  elements  of  the  problem  the 
solution  that  the  two  sources  mentioned  (the  Mystic  being  excluded) 
would  probably  supply  Boston  until  191-2,  and  the  Boston  Water 
District  until  1926,  estimates  were  made  of  the  probable  and 
comparative  costs  of  supplying  for  a  term  of  j^ears,  with  water 
from  the  Shawsheen  or  from  the  Sudbury  and  Cochituate  works, 
the  district  now  supplied  with  water  from  the  Mystic  works  ;  the 
results  being  very  favorable  to  the  substitution  of  the  Sudbury 
and  Cochituate  sources. 

EXAMIXATIONS    OF    WaTER    SUPPLIES    AXD    InLAND    WaTERS. 

An  appropriation  providing  for  a  comprehensive  examination 
of  the  water  supplies  and  inland  waters  of  the  State  was  made  by 
the  Legislature  April  2.3,  1887.  The  work  was  begun  soon  after 
this  date. 

These  examinations  consist  chiefly  of  monthly  anai3^ses  of 
water  from  all  the  water  supplies  of  the  State,  and  of  the  more 
important  rivers  and  other  inland  waters,  supplemented  at  varying 
intervals  by  the  examinations  of  a  bacteriologist,  and  of  a  biolo- 
gist who  examines  the  grosser  forms  of  microscopic  life  in  the 
waters. 

It  has  been  the  duty  of  your  Engineer  in  connection  with  this 
work  to  make  himself  familiar  with  the  various  water  supplies  of 
the  State  ;  to  determine  under  the  general  direction  of  jonv  Board 
where  samples  of  water  should  be  taken  ;  to  arrange  for  thek 
regular  and  systematic  collection,  and  to  gather  information  about 
all  physical  characteristics  of  the  different  water  supplies,  such  as 
temperatures,  volumes  flowing  in  the  streams,  heights  of  water  in 
the  reservoirs,  etc. 

The  results  of  the  chemical  and  other  examinations  of  the 
waters,  when  reported  to  the  Board,  have  been  in  the  custody  of 
your  Engineer,  who  has  carefully  studied  them  with  the  view  of 
determining  from  his  own  stand-point  in  which  directions  new 
examinations  could  profitably  be  instituted,  or  those  being  made 
extended,  diminished  or  discontinued. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  work,  which  has  thus  been  outlined, 
the  following  ch'cular  and  blank  for  returns  were  prepared  :  — 


72  WATER   SUPPLY  AND   SEWERAGE.       [Jan. 


Office  of  State  Board  of  Health, 
13  Beacon  Street,  Boston,  May  23,  1887. 
To . 

The  State  Board  of  Health  intends  to  make  monthly  analyses  for  the 
ensumg  year  of  waters  used  for  domestic  supplies  within  the  State,  and, 
in  connection  theremth,  desires  to  obtain  general  information  respecting 
the  several  water  supplies.  It,  therefore,  requests  that  jow  will  send 
such  printed  information  as  you  can  ;  particularly  reports  describing  the 
construction  of  your  works,  the  occurrence  of  any  unusual  tastes,  or 
growths  of  vegetation  in  or  upon  the  water,  or  any  general  disease 
affecting  the  fish  in  the  streams,  ponds  and  reservoirs. 

An  answer  is  requested  to  such  of  the  questions  in  the  accomi^anying 
blank  as  are  applicable  to  your  works. 

The  library  of  the  Board  now  contains  the  rejiorts  mentioned  below. 

Respectfully  yours, 

F.  P.  Stearns; 
Engineer  State  Board  of  Health. 


Commonwealth  of  Massachusetts, 

State  Board  of  Health. 

Please  fill  out  such  portions  of  this  blank  as  are  applicable  to  your 
works,  and  forward  to  F.  P.  Stearns,  Engineer  State  Board  of  Health, 
13  Beacon  Street,  Boston. 

Some  of  the  blanks  have  been  filled  from  information  now  in  the  pos- 
session of  the  Board :  jDlease  correct  if  wrong. 

Date, 188  . 

1.  Name  of  city  or  town. 

2.  Population,  1885. 

3.  Date  when  works  were  built.  (If  not  all  built  at  one  time,  state 
what  additions  were  made,  and  when.) 

i.     By  whom  are  works  owned  ? 

5.  Source  or  sources  of  water  supply. 

6.  Area  of  water-shed  supplying  such  source  or  sources. 

7.  General  geological  and  topographical  character  of  the  water-shed. 

8.  Mode  of  supply,  whether  by  gi-avity  or  pumping,  and  whether  dis- 
tributing reservoir  or  tank  is  used. 

9.  General  description  of  storage  and  distributing  reservoirs,  —  natu- 
ral or  artificial,  how  constructed,  area  of  water  surface,  capacity,  char- 
acter of  bottom,  amount  of  shallow  flowage,  etc. 

10.  Does  all  water  pumped  go  through  the  distributing  reservoir  or 
tank  ? 

11.  What  portion  of  the  water  pumped  goes  into  the  disti'ibuting 
reservoir  ? 

12.  Whether  or  not  the  water  is  delivered  into  the  distributing  reser- 
voir at  one  side  and  drawn  out  at  the  other. 

13.  Xumber,  kind,  size  and  depth  of  wells  used  as  sources  of  water 
supply. 


1888.]  SENATE  — No.    4.  73 

14.  Desci-ibe  filter  galleries  or  basins,  and  connections,  if  any,  with 
stream,  pond  or  reservoir. 

15.  Average  daily  capacity  of  works  in  dry  year. 

16.  Daily  average  consumption. 

17.  Number  of  persons  using  the  water. 

18.  Is  water  supplied  to  any  one  outside  of  your  town  or  city? 

19.  Material  of  distributing  mains. 

20.  Material  of  service  pipes. 

21.  Does  the  water  supply  receive  sewage,  drainage  from  factories 
(mentioning  kind),  or  other  liollutions  ? 

22.  If  there  have  been  any  bad  tastes  in  the  water,  or  excess  of  vege- 
table growth,  or  if  the  fish  have  been  generally  affected,  and  such 
occurrences  are  not  fully  described  in  printed  reports,  please  describe 
the  same  and  the  remedy  adoj^ted,  if  any. 

23.  Have  analyses  of  water  from  the  present  source  been  made  ?  By 
whom?  When?  If  not  given  in  printed  reports,  j^lease  furnish  copy 
of  same. 

24.  Have  I'ecords  of  the  temperature  of  the  w^ater  been  taken  in  the 
past  ?    If  not  printed,  will  you  furnish  copies  if  blanks  are  sent  ? 

25.  Will  you  keep  records  of  the  temperature  of  water  in  the  future, 
if  a  thermometer  and  blanks  are  furnished  ? 

26.  Will  you  furnish  samjiles  of  water  for  analysis  each  month,  and 
forward  at  stated  times  by  express,  if  bottles  are  supplied  ? 

27.  To  whom  shall  future  correspondence  be  addressed? 

28.  Name  and  address  of  collector  of  samples. 

29.  Name  of  Express  Co. 

30.  Name  of  person  furnishing  this  information. 

Beginning  the  first  of  June,  1887,  every  public  water  supply  in 
the  State  was  visited  and  examined  by  your  Engineer,  or  one  of 
his  assistants  ;  places  for  taking  samples  of  water  were  chosen, 
and  the  methods  to  be  followed  were  explained  to  those  who  were 
to  take  them.  Arrangements  were  also  made  for  having  daily 
records  of  the  temperature  of  water  taken  at  many  places  and 
sent  monthly  to  this  office. 

From  these  returns  it  is  found  that  all  of  the  twenty-three  cities' 
in  the  State,  and  103  out  of  a  total  of  327  towns,  are  wholly  or 
in  part  provided  with  a  public  water  supply.*  This  number 
excludes  several  towns  in  the  western  part  of  the  State,  where  a 
limited  number  of  families  are  supplied  through  a  small  pipe,  by 
some  individual  or  company,  from  a  spring  or  stream  on  the  neigh- 
boring hills  ;  also  others,  where  water  is  pumped  from  a  manufac- 
turing establishment  to  the  dwellings  of  the  operatives  in  the 
vicinity. 

*  Four  towns,  for  which  water-works  are  being  constructed  and  are  so  nearly 
firiisbcd  that  they  will  be  in  operation  the  greater  part  of  the  coming  year,  are  in- 
cluded in  this  and  subsequent  statements. 


74 


WATER  SUPPLY  AND  SEWEPvAGE. 


[Jan 


In  Table  No.  1  the  numbei-  of  cities  or  towns,  having  or  not 
having  public  water  supplies,  are  classed  by  each  500  of  popula- 
tion, up  to  G,000,  according  to  the  census  of  1885.  All  places 
having  a  population  of  6,000  or  more,  which  includes  all  of  the 
cities,  now  have  a  public  water  supply. 

Table  No.   1. 


POPULATION. 

No.    of  places    of 
given  population 
having  a  public 
water  supply. 

Total     population 
of  places  in  pre- 
ceding column. 

No.    of  places    of 
given  population 
not  having  a  pub- 
lic vrater  supply. 

Total      population 
of  places  in  pre- 
ceding column. 

Under    500 
500-1,000 
1,000-1,500 
1,500-2,000 
2,000-2,500 
2,500-3,000 
3,000-3,500 
3,500-4,000 
4,000-4,500 
4,500-5,000 
5,000-5,500 
5,500-6,000 
Above  6,000 

1 

3 
4 

8 

10 

5 

2 

13 

12 

7 

3 

4 

54 

451 

2,437 

5,346 

13,559 

22,057 

14,254 

6,155 

49,441 

51,763 

33,312 

15,633 

23,036 

1,357,934 

22 

69 

39 

33 

21 

18 

8 

6 

5 

1 

1 

1 

7,530 

52,751 

47,086 

57,305 

47,233 

49,706 

25,534 

22,598 

21,318 

4,555 

5,436 

5,711 

Totals, 

126               1,595,378 

224 

346,763 

From  the  totals  given  in  this  table  it  will  be  seen  that  although 
but  few  more  than  one-third  of  the  whole  number  of  cities  and 
towns  in  the  State  have  a  public  water  supply',  yet  the  total  popu- 
lation of  the  places  supplied  represents  82  per  cent,  of  the  popu- 
lation of  the  State.  This  estimate  of  population  represents  the 
whole  number  of  persons  in  the  municipalities  supplied,  and  is  con- 
sequently somewhat,  though  not  very  much,  in  excess  of  the  number 
of  persons  who  can  avail  themselves  of  a  public  supply.  By  further 
examination  of  the  table  it  will  be  observi-ed  that  there  are  but 
three   towns   having  a  population   exceeding  4,500  that  are  not 


.1888.] 


SENATE  — No.   4. 


75 


supplied,  and  that  where  the  population  exceeds  3,500,  the 
majority  are  supplied,  while  beloW  thfs  Unlit  the  reverse  is  true. 

There  are  some  important  towns  where  the  supply  is  limited  to 
but  one  of  several  villages. 

There  are  iu  the  State  123  sources  of  public  water  supply,  count- 
ing as  a  source, eacli  separate  system  of  waterworks,  and  also  each 
of  the  sources  used  in  connection  witli  any  particular  system,  when 
essentially  different  in  character.  Tliis  does  not  agree  exactly 
with  the  number  of  municipalities  supplied,  since  iu  many  cases 
a  city,  town,  or  company  supplies  several  places,  while  in  others  a 
city  or  town  has  several  sources  of  supply. 

To  indicate  the  nature  of  the  sources,  they  may  be  divided  into 
fifty  supplying  ground  water,  and  seventy-three  suppl3^ing  surface 
water.  Further  classification  of  the  sources  may  be  made  as  fol- 
lows :  — 


Qround-water  Sources. 

Springs,  . 

.     16 

Large  wells,  . 

.     16 

Tubular  wells, 

.      7 

Filter  galleries, 

.      7 

Filter  basins,  . 

.       4 

Total,   . 

Surface-water  Sources. 

.     50 

Artificial  storage  reservoirs, 

.    36 

Natural  ponds, 

.     32 

Streams, 

.         .      5 

Total, 


73 


The  line  of  separation  between  the  different  classes  is  somewhat  in- 
definite. A  filter  gallery  or  well  on  the  banks  of  a  stream  may  each 
furnish  water  of  identically  the  same  character,  while  another  well 
may  furnish  the  water  of  a  natural  spring  which  it  has  replaced. 
Natural  ponds  by  having  their  level  raised  may  flow  extensive 
meadows,  and  so  become  less  satisfactoi-y  reservoirs  than  those 
that  are  wholly  artificial.  Tubular  wells  are  frequently  sunk  in 
the  bottoms  of  large  wells  or  filter  basins  with  the  view  of  increas- 
ing the  supply  of  water;  and  in  other  ways  the  classification  is 
somewhat  complicated,  yet  it  furnishes  a  fair  idea  as  to  the  sources 
from  which  the  water  supply  of  the  State  is  obtained. 

The  cities  having  a  population  of  more  than  25,000  each,  thirteen 
in  all,  get  their  supply  from  surface  sources.  Of  the  cities  and 
large  towns  having  a  ground-water  supply  may  be  mentioned  the 
following :  — 


76 


WATER  SUPPLY  AND  SEWERAGE.       [Jan. 


City  or  Town.  Population  in  1885. 

Newton, 19,759 

Waltham 14,609 

Newburyport, 13,716 

Quincy, 12,146 

Woburn, 11,760 

Milforcl, 9,343 

Brookline, 9,196 

Hyde  Park, 8,376 

In  Table  No.  2  the  various  water  supplies  are  classified  by 
dates.  The  dates  given  are  those  when  a  modern  public  water 
supply  was  first  introduced  into  a  city  or  town. 

Table  No.  2. 


Increase  in  num- 
ber of  places  sup- 
plied during  the 
given  time. 


Increase      In 
number      of 
places  supplied 
per  year. 


Previous  to  1860, 

1860-1869, 

1860-1869, 

1870-1874, 

1876-1879, 

1880 

1881 

1882 

1883 

1884, 

1885 

1886 

1887 

Total, 


4 

10 

29 

15 

4 

6 

3 

6 

7 

18 

5 

13 


126 


0.4 

1. 

6.8 

3. 

4. 

6. 

3. 

6. 

7. 
18. 

5, 
13. 


This  table  shows  the  activity  in  water-works  construction  since 
1870.  Before  that  time  the  total  number  of  municipalities  sup- 
plied was  twenty,  or  less  than  one-fifth  of  the  present  number. 
Nearly  one-half  of  the  whole  number  have  obtained  their  supply 


1888.]  SENATE  — Xo.   4.  77 

since  1880.     The  table  takes   no  account  of  the  many  important 
additional  supplies  provided  in  many  cases. 

Of  the  23  cities  in  the  Commonwealth,  20,  having  a  total  popula- 
tion of  1,030,282,  own  their  water  works  ;  while  3,  having  a  total 
population  of  57,214,  are  wholly  supplied  by  private  companies. 

Of  the  103  towns  having  a  public  water  supply,  50,  having  a 
total  population  of  285,080,  are  supplied  from  their  own  works, 
and  53,  having  a  total  population  of  222,71)6,  by  private  companies. 
In  this  classification  no  account  is  taken  of  secondary  supplies  of 
small  importance  which  exist  in  many  places.  The  total  popula- 
tion of  the  cities  and  towns  owning  their  own  works  is  1,315,368, 
against  280,010  for  those  supplied  by  private  companies. 

About  200  samples  of  water  collected  from  the  existing  water 
supplies  of  the  State,  and  from  36  places  on  17  rivers  and  ponds, 
are  received  monthly  at  the  laboratory,  in  addition  to  a  varying 
number  collected  as  occasional  specimens  from  other  places  or 
in  connection  with  special  investigations  of  new  sources  or  existing 
works.  Daily  records  of  the  temperature  of  the  water  at  50 
places,  and  of  the  heights  of  water  and  other  information  needed 
to  make  an  approximate  estimate  of  the  amount  flowing  in  the 
rivers  at  19  places,  are  taken  by  water-works  and  mill  superinten- 
dents, or  special  observers,  and  are  forwarded  monthly  to  this 
office. 

Schedules  are  prepared  each  month  to  show  the  day  on  which 
each  sample  of  water  should  be  collected,  and  are  so  arranged 
that  the  samples  will  reach  the  laboratory  at  a  nearly  uniform  rate 
during  the  first  five  week-da3'S  of  each  week,  in  order  to  permit 
them  to  be  analyzed  prompt!}'  when  received.  The  schedules  are 
also  arranged  so  that  waters  having  some  relation  to  each  other 
shall  be  collected  on  the  same  day  or,  in  the  case  of  rivers,  after 
such  an  interval  of  time  as  will  allow  the  water  to  flow  from  one 
sampling  place  to  another. 

The  willing  co-operation  of  the  Avater-works  superintendents  and 
others,  and  their  readiness  to  collect  and  forward  samples  of  water 
and  to  take  such  observations  as  we  have  desii-ed,  have  added 
greatly  to  the  value  of  the  work  done  and  have  decreased  the 
labor  of  this  department ;  j^et  the  tabulation  and  examination  of 
the  analyses  and  returns,  the  occasional  visits  to  the  different 
water  works  for  further  information  or  to  collect  samples,  the 
special  investigations  made,  and  the  very  large  amount  of  corres- 
pondence necessarily  incident  to  such  work,  together  with  other 
work  not  connected  with  the  water  examinations,  have  kept  the 
force  employed  in  this  office  extremely  busy. 


78  WATER  SUPPLY  AND  SEWERAGE.        [Jan. 

Ill  arranging  in  the  beginning  where  samples  of  water  should 
be  taken  it  was  the  aim  to  get  them  in  such  a  way  that  the  chemi- 
cal analyses  would  not  only  furnish  a  standard  for  future  com- 
parisons, but  that  they  should  show  in  addition  general  laws 
affecting  the  purity  of  water  supplies.  With  this  in  view  samples 
were  taken  of  ground  waters  from  filter  galleries,  wells  and 
basins,  and  of  surface  waters  in  neighboring  ponds  or  streams,  to 
determine  the  effect  of  such  filtration  as  might  take  place  ;  other 
samples  were  taken  to  show  the  effect  of  storing  ground  or  surface 
waters  in  open  distributing  reservoirs  or  in  open  or  closed  water 
towers  ;  others  the  effect  of  continuous  filtration  through  a  thin 
layer  of  sand  or  gravel ;  others  the  comparative  quality  of  water 
taken  from  the  surface,  mid-depth  and  bottom  of  a  deep  reservoir  ; 
others  a  comparison  between  water  entering  a  storage  reservoir 
and  after  standing  in  it ;  and  others  the  effect  of  aeration  caused 
by  the  flow  down  a  long  steep  brook  of  water  pre"ST-OUsly  stored  in 
a  reservoh". 

Many  results  have  already  accumulated,  and  an  examination 
of  them  indicates  that  in  addition  to  the  great  fund  of  scientific 
knowledge  which  they  will  furnish,  much  of  practical  value  to 
those  designing  and  sui^erintending  water  works  may  be  learned 
from  such  comprehensive  work. 

It  is  not  proposed  at  this  time,  when  the  series  of  examinations 
of  the  waters  is  incomplete  and  all  seasons  of  the  year  have  not 
been  included,  to  make  any  extended  statement  of  the  results 
found ;  some,  however,  are  so  well  indicated  and  so  important 
that  it  seems  desirable  to  report  them  as  they  now  appear. 

When  the  first  filter  galleries  were  built  beside  the  rivers  or 
ponds  it  was  expected  to  get  water  filtered  from  the  neighboring 
surface  supplj'.  It  was  found,  however,  that  the  water  from  the 
galleries  differed  very  much  in  chemical  analysis,  temperature  and 
appearance  from  the  surface  waters,  and  before  pumping  stood  at 
«,  higher  level. 

From  all  this  it  was  concluded  that  the  water  did  not  come  from 
the  neighboring  pond  or  stream  but  from  the  land  side.*  Two 
instances  are  given  in  Table  No.  3  of  analyses  of  surface  waters 
and  of  the  filtered  or  ground  waters  beside  them. 

*  Wbcre  water  frum  the  land  side  is  mentioned  in  this  report,  it  refers  only  to 
Wilier  derived  from  rainfall  soaking  directly  into  the  ground,  and  not  to  that  which 
frequently  cn:ers  a  filter  gallery  or  well  from  the  land  side,  having  come  b}'  a  cir- 
cuitoiis  course  from  iho  adjoining  pond  or  stream. 


1888.] 


SENATE  — No.   4. 


79 


Table  No.  3. 
Analyses  of  Samples  of  Water  taken  from  a  pond  and  from  a 
filter  gallery  beside  it,  also  from  a  river  and  from  driven  wells 
near  its  bayilcs. 

[Figures  express  parts  per  100,000.] 


Date  of  taking  sample, 

Date  of  examination, 

Sediment, 

Turbidity, 

Color,* 

Odor,  cold, 

Odor,  hot. 

Total  residue,  . 

Loss  of  residue  on  ignition 

Fixed  residue, . 

Odor  and  characteristic  C 
on  ignition,    .         .        ^ 

Free  ammonia, 

Albuminoid  ammonia. 

Chlorine,  . 

Nitrogen  as  nitrates, 

Nitrites,    . 

Hardness, 

Temp,  of  water  at  source, 


July  11,'S7.  July  11,'87 


Filter  Gallery. 


"     13,   " 

Light    brown 
flocky. 

Decided. 
0.4 


Peculiar  and 
offensive. 

Stronyly  of- 
fensive and 
persistent. 

12.74 


2.17 
10.57 

Strongly  peaty 
and  some- 
what disa- 
greeable. 

0.0042 
0.0803 
2.94 
0.003 
None. 
5.57 
About  77° 


"    13,  " 

None. 

None. 

None. 

None. 

None. 
11.70 

1.95 

9.75 


Disagreeably 
irritating  and 
acid. 


0.0012 
0.0022 
2.29 
0.034 
None. 
5.57 
About  52° 


July  11, '87. 
"    11,  " 

None. 
Slight. 

1.0 

Faint. 
Veiy  faint. 

5.95 

1.75 

4.20 


Driven  Wells. 


Julyll,'87. 
■'    11,  " 
None. 
None. 
None. 
None. 
None. 
6.10 
0.75 
5.35 


strongly  peaty.   Peculiar    and 
acid. 


0.0069 

0.0432 

0.58 

None. 

None. 

76° 


0.0000 
0.0010 
0.81 
0.039 
None. 
3.'38 
51° 


From  an  examination  of  this  table  it  will  be  seen  that  there  is  a 
very  decided  difference  in  the  character  of  the  two  classes  of 
waters  in  nearly  every  respect   except  in   residue  and   chlorine. 

*  Colors  are  designated  by  a  scale  of  figures  increasing  with  tbe  increase  of  color : 
1.0  represents  a  distinct  yellowish  brown  when  seen  in  a  depth  of  five  or  six  inches  ; 
2.0  represents  a  decided  yellowish  brown.  Odor  is  obtained  by  agitating  the  water 
in  a  closed  bottle,  about  half  full,  and  then  smelling  the  air. 


80  WATER  SUPPLY  AND  SEWERAGE.       [Jan. 

Sediment,  turbidity,  color  aud  odor  (cold  and  hot)  do  not  appear 
in  the  water  taken  from  the  ground,  the  ammonias  are  very  much 
diminished,  and  the  nitrates  are  increased.  The  temperature  of 
the  ground  water  was  also  much  less  at  the  time  of  year  when 
these  samples  were  taken. 

There  are  several  reasons  why  it  seems  probable  that  water 
di'awn  from  filter  galleries,  or  by  other  means  from  the  ground  in 
the  vicinity  of  bodies  of  surface  water,  comes  to  a  large  extent 
from  the  latter  source  ;  and  it  was  thought  that  if  tliis  could  be 
shown  to  be  the  case,  and  it  could  be  shown  at  the  same  time  that 
the  filtered  water  lost  the  general  characteristics  of  surface  waters 
and  assumed  those  of  ground  water  derived  from  rainfall  soaking 
into  the  ground,  the  knowledge  would  be  of  much  practical  value 
to  those  locating  or  enlarging  a  ground-water  supply. 

To  settle  the  question,  if  possible,  a  special  case  was  chosen  for 
thorough  investigation  where  the  supply  for  a  town  was  pumped 
from  a  filter  gallery,  distant  about  130  feet  from  the  shore  of  a 
pond. 

The  amount  of  water  pumped  from  this  gallery  during  the  year 
equals  a  daily  average  of  about  900,000  gallons.  The  pumps 
are  operated  during  each  week  day  for  about  ten  hours,  no  pump- 
ing being  done  on  Sunday. 

The  level  of  the  water  in  the  filter  gallery  remains  permanently 
below  the  surface  of  the  pond,  lowering  when  the  pumps  are  in 
operation  and  rising  when  they  are  stopped.  These  fluctuations 
vary  in  extent  at  different  times  of  the  year.  In  December,  1887, 
the  water  rose  to  within  about  one  foot  of  the  level  of  the  pond 
on  Monday  mornings,  when  the  pumping  had  been  discontinued 
for  thirty-eight  hours,  while  other  mornings  it  was  six  inches  lower. 
In  the  evening  it  was  about  four  feet  below  the  pond. 

The  mean  of  seven  analyses,  made  monthly  from  June  to 
December,  1887,  of  the  water  of  this  pond  and  of  the  filter 
gallery  beside  it,  are  given  in  Table  No.  4. 

In  the  last  column  of  the  table  is  given  a  mean  of  correspond- 
ing analyses  of  water  from  an  open  distributing  reservoir,  into 
which  water  is  pumped  from  the  filter  gallery.  Reference  will  be 
made  to  this  in  a  subsequent  portion  of  this  report. 


1888.] 


SENATE  -  No.   4. 


81 


Table  No.  4. 
Mean  of  Seven  Analyses  made  monthly  from  June  to  December, 
1887,  of  the  water  of  a,  pond,  a  Jilt er  gallery  beside  it,  and  an 
open  distributing  reservoir  into  luhich  water  is  pumped  from  the 
filter  gallery. 


[Figures  cxproes  parts  per 

100,000.] 

Pond. 

Filter  Gallery. 

■ 

Open  Distributing 
Keservoir. 

Sediment,    .... 

Some. 

None. 

A  little. 

Turbidity,   .... 

Considerable. 

None. 

Some. 

Color,*         .... 

0.4 

0.0 

0.0 

Odor,  cold, .... 

Considerable. 

None. 

Some. 

Odor,  hot,   .... 

Considerable. 

None. 

Some. 

Total  residue. 

13.79 

12.06 

11.81 

Loss  of  residue  on  ignition, 

2.19 

1.54 

1.57 

Fixed  residue,     . 

11.60 

10.52 

10.24 

Free  ammonia,    . 

0.0149 

0.0014 

0.0032 

Albuminoid  ammonia. 

0.0480 

0.0028 

0.0105 

Chlorine,     .... 

3.74 

2.40 

2.30 

Nitrogen   as    nitrates   and 
nitrites,    .... 

0.022 

0.031 

0.017  . 

Nitrites,       .... 

Present  twice. 

None. 

Present  once. 

This  particular  source  of  water  supply  was  chosen  in  preference 
to  any  other  because  the  pond  was  artificially  salted  by  the  drain- 
age from  manufacturing  establishments  on  its  feeders  ;  so  much 
so  that  it  contained  about  ten  times  as  much  chlorine  (one  of  the 
components  of  common  salt)  as  most  ponds  at  the  same  distance 
from  the  sea  and  not  affected  by  drainage. 

The  value  of  an  abnormal  amount  of  salt  in  a  surface  water  for 
determining  the  source  from  which  water  comes  to  a  filter  gallery 
lies  in  the  fact  that  it  is  a  stable  chemical  compound,  and  is  not  re- 
moved when  the  water  containing  it  in  solution  is  filtered  through 
the  ground. 

In  proof  of  the  latter  part  of  this  statement  numerous  instances 
may  be  cited  where  analyses  of  filtered  and  unfiltered  water  show 
*  For  scale  of  color  sec  foot  note,  p.  79. 


82  WATER   SUPPLY  AND   SEWERAGE.       [Jan. 

the  same  amount  of  chlorides.  The  most  conclusive  proof,  how- 
ever, is  furnished  by  the  careful  and  extended  experiments  made 
at  the  Massachusetts  Institute  of  Technology  by  the  late  Prof. 
"Wm.  Ripley  Nichols  and  described  by  him  in  a  paper  *  presented 
to  the  Boston  Society  of  Civil  Engineers,  April  16,  1884. 

It  is,  of  course,  possible  for  water  passing  through  ground  con- 
taining salts  to  dissolve  them  and  so  increase  their  proportionate 
amount  in  the  water ;  and  in  the  case  of  filtration  from  a  pond  or 
stream  into  a  filter  gallery  the  latter  may  contain  more  or  less 
salt  than  the  former,  owing  to  the  admixture  of  water  coming 
from  the  land  side. 

By  reference  to  Table  No.  4  it  will  be  observed  that  the  water 
of  the  filter  gallery  contains  2.4  parts  of  chlorine  per  100,000,  or 
about  six  times  as  much  as  is  usually  found  in  water  at  this  dis- 
tance from  the  sea.  This  large  quantity  may  be  accounted  for  in 
two  ways :  either  by  the  filtration  of  water  from  the  pond,  or  by 
some  abnormal  condition  of  the  soil  which  makes  the  water  from 
the  land  side  rich  in  chlorides.  To  determine  whether  or  not  the 
water  from  the  land  side  presented  this  unusual  feature,  samples 
of  water  were  collected  from  an  unpolluted  brook  and  pond  in  the 
vicinity,  and  from  several  pits  dug  deep  enough  to  collect  water 
coming  to  the  filter  gallery  from  the  land  side.  In  the  samples  of 
the  water  from  the  pond,  brook,  and  three  of  the  pits  in  which  the 
water  stood  at  a  higJier  level  than  in  the  pond,  the  amount  of  chlo- 
rine varied  from  0.25  to  0.45  in  100,000,  averaging  0.37,  or  less 
than  one-sixth  of  the  amount  in  the  filter  gallery.  Just  what 
the  figures  that  have  been  given  mean  may  be  more  easily  under- 
stood by  showing  the  results  in  a  different  form. 

The  average  amount  of  water  pumped  daily  from  the  filter 
gallery  may  be  stated  in  round  numbers  as  900,000  gallons  or 
7,500,€00  pounds. 

The  chlorine  in  the  water  is  found  to  be  2.4  parts  per  100,000, 
equivalent  to  180  pounds  of  chlorine  in  the  daily  pumpage. 

If  it  is  assumed,  as  is  probably  the  case,  that  all  the  chlorine  in 
the  water  is  combined  with  sodium  in  the  form  of  common  salt, 
it  can  be  shown  from  the  relation  which  these  two  components 
always  bear  to  each  other  that  the  total  amount  of  salt  pumped 
per  day  is  297  pounds.  An  equivalent  amount  of  water  derived 
from  the  land  side  would  contain  only  46  pounds  of  salt,  while 
the  same  amount  of  water  derived  wholly  from  the  pond  would 
contain  462  pounds. 

These  figures  not  only  show  that  the  water  in  the  filter  gallery 
is  a  mixture  of  the  waters  from  the  pond  and  the  land  side,  but 

*  On  the  Filtration  of  Certain  Saline  Solutions  through  Sand :  Journal  of  the  Asso- 
ciation of  Engineering  Societies,  vol.  iii.,  p.  139,  1884. 


1888.]  SENATP:  — Xo.    4.  83 

tliey  permit  a  fairly  good  estimate  to  be  made  of  the  proportion 
whicli  must  come  fiojn  eacli  source  to  produce  the  degree  of  salt- 
ness  equivalent  to  that  found  in  the  water  fnjui  the  gallery. 

Such  an  estimate  shows  GO  per  cent,  of  the  water  to  have  come 
from  the  pond  and  40  per  cent,  from  the  land  side,  during  the 
seven  months  under  consideration. 

Other  investigations  were  "made  to  determine  the  source  supply- 
ing water  to  this  gallery,  and  they  may  be  mentioned  in  a  subse- 
quent report  when  the  investigations  of  the  whole  year  are  completed. 
They  Avere  generally  corroborative  of  the  results  here  given. 

Before  leaving  the  subject  of  the  source  of  this  water  supply 
it  may  be  well  to  state  that  it  is  improbable  that  much  of  the 
water  derived  from  this  pond  comes  through  the  comparatively 
narrow  strip  of  ground  separating  the  pond  from  the  gallery  ; 
in  fact,  the  statement  may  be  made  in  a  general  way  that  in  the 
bed  of  a  stream  or  pond  the  spaces  between  the  grains  of  sand 
and  gravel  usually  become  choked  up  with  silt  and  vegetable 
matter  to  such  an  extent  that  little  water  will  pass  through  any 
given  square  foot  of  surface  ;  and  it  is  only  where  a  large  area  of 
bed  overlies  or  adjoins  the  porous  stratum  that  it  is  safe  to  expect 
that  a  large  supply  can  be  obtained  by  filtration. 

When  the  water  is  once  in  a  coarse  gravel  stratum  of  considera- 
ble extent  it  may  find  its  w\ay  readily  to  a  filter  gallery  even  from 
a  long  distance.  That  some  of  the  water  came  from  a  long  dis- 
tance to  tlie  gallery  in  the  case  specially  investigated  Avas  proved 
by  test  pits  dug  near  the  shore  across  an  arm  of  the  pond  and 
1,000  feet  from  the  gallery. 

The  water  surface  in  these  pits  stood  severalfinches  below  that 
in  the  pond,  fluctuated  with  the  change  of  level  in  the  filter  gal- 
lery, and  the  Avater  from  them  contained  more  than  the  normal 
amount  of  chlorine  found  in  the  ground  water  in  this  vicinity, 
showing  that  some  of  the  pond  water  passed  through  these  pits 
on  its  way  to  the  gallery. 

Coarse  gravel  will  hold  in  its  interstices  about  30  per  cent,  of 
its  volume  of  water,  and  where  the  gravel  beds  are  extensive 
the  large  body  of  water  contained  in  them  has  to  move  sloAvly 
towards  the  filter  gallery  to  furnish  the  amount  pumped,  so  that 
some  of  the  water  may  be  weeks  or  CA'en  nionths  in  its  passage 
through  the  ground. 

Upon  examining  the  relatiA'e  analyses  of  water  from  the  pond 
and  filter  gallery,  as  given  in  Table  No.  4  on  page  81  it  will  be 
obserA'ed  that  in  most  features  the  difference  betAveen  the  two  can- 
not be  accounted  for  by  the  mixture  of  water  from  the  pond  and 
land  side  in  the   proportion  before  stated.     Sediment,  turbidity, 


84  WATER   SUPPLY  AND    SEWERAGE.       [Jan. 

color  and  odor  (cold  and  hot)  wliicli  are  very  noticeable  in  the 
pond  water,  are  absent  in  the  water  from  the  filter  gallery.  The 
residues  and  chlorine  do  not  show  a  greater  difference  than  can 
be  accounted  for  by  the  mixture  of  the  waters. 

The  change  in  the  ammonias  is  the  most  noticeable  feature,  the 
gallery  water  containing  but  one-eleventh  as  much  free  ammonia 
and  one-seventeenth  as  much  albuminoid  ammonia  as  that  from  the 
pond.  The  greater  amount  of  nitrogen  as  nitrates  and  nitrites 
(nearly  all  nitrates)  in  the  gallery  water,  might  be  accounted  for 
by  the  mixture  of  the  waters,  but  it  is  more  probable  that  the 
increase  is  due  to  the  oxidation  and  consequent  purification  of  the 
decomposing  nitrogenous  matters  indicated  in  the  pond  water  by 
the  presence  of  the  ammonias. 

The  water  of  the  pond  is  shown  by  the  analyses  to  be  entirely 
unfit  for  drinking,  while  water  from  the  gallery  analyzes  well  in 
many  respects, but  is  to  be  ^'iewed  with  some  suspicion  on  account 
of  its  source. 

In  addition  to  the  chemical  analyses  of  these  waters,  other 
examinations  were  made  to  determine  whether  bacteria  and  the 
grosser  forms  of  microscopic  life  (algae,  etc.)  found  in  the  pond 
water  were  removed  by  its  filtration  through  the  ground  to  the 
gallery. 

The  number  of  bacteria  found  per  cubic  centimeter  in  the  pond 
water  Oct.  12,  1887,  was  70;  in  the  water  from  the  gallery,  1.3. 
On  the  12th  of  December,  1887,  the  numbers  found  were  respec- 
tively 65  and  1.  The  mean  of  these  results  shows  that  the  gal- 
lery water  contains  but  one-tenth  as  many  as  that  from  the  pond. 
The  species  were  n#t  determined,  and  it  is  not  known  whether  the 
bacteria  found  in  the  gallery  were  developed  there  or  whether 
they  came  through  the  ground.  In  many  other  instances  in  this 
State,  where  comparisons  have  been  made  of  the  number  of  bac- 
teria in  surface  waters  and  in  the  filter  galleries  or  wells  beside 
them,  much  greater  differences  have  been  found  than  in  the  cases 
above  given  ;  an  extreme  instance  showing  a  ratio  of  10,500  to  2. 

The  bacteria  found  in  all  of  these  cases  may  have  been  and 
probably  were  harmless,  but  since  the  best  known  of  the  path- 
ogenic bacteria  are  no  smaller,  it  seems  fair  to  assume  that  the 
means  which  will  remove  one  will  remove  the  other. 

That  filtration  through  even  a  moderately  thin  layer  will,  under 
proper  conditions,  remove  a  very  large  percentage  of  the  bacteria 
from  water,  has  been  very  definitely  shown  by  the  experiments  of 
Dr.  Percy  F.  Frankland*  b}^  pj-actical  experience  in  the  filtration 

•  Water-purification,  its  Biological  and  Chemicil  Basis,  by  Percy  F.  Frankland, 
Ph.D.,  etc.;  Proceedings  of  the  Institution  of  Civil  Engineers,  vol.  •Ixxxv.,  Lon 
don,  18S6. 


1888.]  SENATE -No.    4.  85 

of  the  water  supplies  of  London  and  Berlin,  and  Ly  recent  ex- 
periments at  the  Lawnuiee  Experimental  Station,  described  in  the 
report  of  the  Board  Avhich  this  accompanies.  In  fact,  the  effi- 
ciency of  the  Berlin  filter  beds  is  now  determined  by  the  percent- 
age of  the  bacteria  which  they  will  remove  from  the  water. 

The  examination  of  the  waters  of  the  pond  under  consideration, 
for  microscopic  growths  other  tlian  bacteria,  showed  the  presence 
m  abundance  of  several  species  of  algaj,  some  of  which  were 
gelatinous  forms  which  readily  decompose  and  produce  disagreeable 
tastes  and  odois  in  the  waters  ;  other  growths  were  present  in 
small  numbers.  The  water  of  the  filter  gallery  did  not  contain 
any  of  the  species  of  organisms  found  in  the  pond,  though  it  did 
contain  a  few  other  species,  — one  in  some  abundance. 

These  results  are  in  accordance  with  those  obtained  from  other 
water  supplies  somewhat  similarly  situated. 

In  tlie  warmest  weather  in  summer  the  temperature  of  the 
water  of  the  pond  was  as  high  as  80°  Fahrenheit,  while  that  of  the 
filter  gallery  was  about  52°. 

As  a  general  result  of  these  special  examinations,  corroborated 
in  many  respects  by  similar  results  found  at  other  water  supplies 
in  the  State,  the  following  practical  conclusions  may  be  drawn  :  — 

That  it  is  practicable  in  many  instances  to  obtain  a  supply  of 
water  from  a  bed  of  porous  gravel  adjoining  an  unfailing  pond  or 
stream,  without  reference  to  the  amount  of  water  that  may  be  ob- 
tained from  the  land  side. 

That  where  the  soil  does  not  contain  soluble  matters  to  injuri- 
ously affect  the  water,  it  will,  when  so  obtained,  be  much  purer  by 
chemical  and  biological  standards,  will  be  much  cooler  in  summer, 
and  in  all  sanitary  and  commercial  features  will  be  much  better 
than  water  taken  directly  from  the  pond  or  stream. 

That  since  it  is  impracticable  in  man}'  cases  to  get  an  entirely 
satisfactory  supply  of  water,  it  is  preferable  to  obtain  a  ground- 
water supply  by  filtration  from  a  surface  source  that  is  somewhat 
objectionable,  rather  than  take  surface  water  directly  from  a  source 
that  is  some  degrees  less  objectionable. 

There  are  other  conclusions  which  ought  not  to  be  drawn  to 
which  it  is  equally  well  to  call  attention. 

It  should  not  be  inferred  that  the  results  above  indicated  will  be 
obtained  where  only  a  thin  layer  of  sand  or  gravel  intervenes 
between  the  surface  source  and  the  filter  gallery,  and  the  filtration 
is  continuous,  since  examinations,  in  several  instances,  of  water 
filtered  under  such  circumstances  have  shown  it  to  be  worse  than 
that  which  had  not  been  filtered  :  nor  should  it  be  inferred  that  it 


86  WATER   SUPPLY  AND    SEWEEAGE.       [Jan. 

is  safe  to  take  a  supply  by  filtration  from  a  seriously  polluted 
body  of  surface  water,  since,  while  the  chemical  analyses  show  by 
far  the  larger  portion  of  the  decomposable  organic  matter  indicated 
by  the  ammonias  to  have  been  removed  by  filtration,  yet  the  small 
amount  remaining  may  be  of  a  harmful  nature,  and  there  is  no 
definite  assurance  that  the  purifying  powers  of  the  soil  may  not  at 
times  be  overtaxed. 

It  may  properly  be  urged  as  an  objection  to  seeking  a  supply  of 
ground  water  that  the  quantity  to  be  obtained  cannot  be  told  with 
the  same  certainty  as  that  from  a  visible  supply.  The  quality  of 
the  Avater,  however,  makes  it  desirable  to  secure  such  a  source 
when  practicable  ;  and  while  the  exact  amount  of  water  cannot 
be  ascertained  in  advance  of  the  actual  construction  and  test  of 
the  well  or  filter  gallery,  a  competent  engineer,  experienced  in 
these  matters,  can  form  a  judgment  upon  which  much  reliance 
may  be  placed. 

In  Table  No.  4,  on  page  81,  in  addition  to  the  analyses  of  the 
waters  of  the  pond  and  the  filter  gallery,  already  discussed,  the 
third  column  gives  the  mean  analysis  of  the  water  in  the  open 
distributing  reservoir. 

When  the  pumps  are  in  operation,  the  surplus  water  goes  to  this 
reservoir,  and  nights  and  Sundays  when  the  pumps  are  stopped  it 
furnishes  the  water  used.  Complaint  is  made  in  summer  by  those 
using  the  water  that  it  tastes  badly  when  it  comes  directly  from 
the  reservoir,  while  that  coming  directly  from  the  filter  gallery 
does  not. 

The  chemical  analyses  show  that  in  nearly  all  other  respects  the 
water  has  seriously  deteriorated  in  quality  by  storage.  Sediment, 
turbidity  and  odor  make  their  appearance  in  the  reservoir  water. 
Free  and  albuminoid  ammonia,  indicating  the  presence  of  decom- 
posing or  decomposable  nitrogenous  organic  matter,  have  greatly 
increased,  while  the  nitrogen  in  the  form  of  nitrates  has  decreased, 
apparently  by  the  passage  of  a  portion  of  the  nitrogen  from  the 
inorganic  to  the  organic  condition. 

A  cause  for  this  and  a  practical  remedy  appear  to  have  been 
found  by  Mr.  G.  H.  Parker,  the  biologist  of  the  Board,  charged 
with  the  examination  of  water  for  organisms  other  than  bacteria, 
and  are  contained  in  his  accompanying  report. 

The  remedy  which  he  proposes  (the  entire  exclusion  of  light  to 
stop  the  growth  of  vegetation)  has  been  applied  in  the  case  of  the 
iron  storage  tank  of  the  Brookline  high  service,  and  the  serious 
trouble   from  bad  taste,   which  previously  existed,   has   entix'ely 


1888.] 


SENATE  — No.    4. 


87 


ceased ;  moreover,  the  chemical  purity  of  the  water  in  the  tank  is 
as  great  as  at  the  source. 

A  result  corresponding  to  the  last  statement  has  been  found 
under  similar  circumstances  at  several  other  places  in  the  State 
similarly  situated. 

The  marked  deterioration,  as  determined  by  chemical  analyses, 
of  ground  water  stored  in  large  open  reservoirs,  is  a  feature  in  all 
cases  that  have  been  examined.  The  amount  of  deterioration  is 
somewhat  variable. 

Table  No.  5  has  been  prepared  to  show  the  change  due  to  stor- 
age that  has  taken  place  in  six  water  systems  during  six  months. 
The  general  result  is  the  same  as  in  the  special  case  before  given. 
The  increase  in  the  ammonias  is  even  more  max'ked. 

TA.BLE   No.   5. 

Mean  of  Analyses  made  monthly  from  June  to  November^  1887,  of 
the  ivaters  of  six  filter  galleries  or  tcells  and  of  the  corresponding 
open  distrihuting  reservoirs  into  ichich  the  tcater  is  pirimped  from 
the  filter  galleries. 

[Figures  express  parts  per  100,000.] 


Filter  Galleries  or 
Wells. 

Open  Distributing 
Reservoirs. 

Sediment,    .... 

None. 

A  little. 

Turbidity 

None. 

Some. 

Color, 

None. 

None. 

Odor,  cold, .... 

None. 

Some. 

Odor,  hot,    .... 

None. 

Some. 

Total  residue,     . 

8.86 

8.82 

Loss  of  residue  on  ignition. 

1.19 

1.39 

Fixed  residue,     . 

7.67 

7.43 

Free  ammonia,   . 

0.0004 

0.0011 

Albuminoid  ammonia, 

0.0017 

0.0117 

Chlorine,     .... 

1.13 

1.09 

Nitrogen  as  nitrates,  . 

0.088 

0.064 

88  WATER   SUPPLY  AND    SEWERAGE.       [Jan. 

In  a  majority  of  cases  water  from  such  reservoirs  has,  at  times, 
tasted  badly.  In  but  few  cases  has  trouble  of  this  kind  been  re- 
ported from  water  stored  in  iron  tanks  ;  but  these  few  cases,  and 
particularly  the  one  already  mentioned,  make  it  desirable  to  ex- 
clude the  light  from  any  to  be  built  in  the  future,  or  from  any  that 
give  trouble  at  the  present  time.  Where  water  from  a  pond  or 
other  surface  source  is  pumped  and  stored  in  an  open  distributing 
reservoir  no  marked  change  in  the  analysis. takes  place. 


Respectfully  submitted, 


Office  of  the  State  Board  of  Health, 

13  Beacon  Street,  Boston,  Jan.  9,  1888. 


F.  P.  STEARNS, 

Chief  Engineer, 


1888.]  SENATE  — No.   4.  89 


APPENDIX   A. 


REPORT  OF  THE  BIOLOGIST. 

Cambridge,  Jan.  4,  1888. 
To  H.  P.  Walcott,  M.  D.,  Chairman  State  Board  of  Health. 

Sir  :  —  The  following  report  contains  a  brief  preliminary  account 
of  the  organisms,  excepting  the  bacteria,  found  in  certain  potable 
ground  waters.  The  influence  of  the  organisms  on  the  water  and  a 
remedy  for  their  deleterious  effects  is  discussed  at  some  length.  A 
fuller  consideration  of  this  topic  and  an  account  of  the  organisms 
found  in  surface  waters  will  be  deferred  till  a  later  report.  As  there 
is  considerable  variation  in  the  plans  of  the  six  water  s^^stems 
examined  they  will  be  treated  separately. 

BrooMine.  —  The  source  of  supply  for  the  water  of  the  town  of 
Brookliue  is  a  filter  gallery  lying  parallel  with  and  near  to  the 
Charles  River.  The  gallery  is  completely  closed  and  the  water 
which  is  in  perfect  darkness  is  pumped  from  this  gallery  to  two 
storage  resen'^oirs,  one  an  iron  tank  for  the  high  service  of  the 
town,  and  another  the  open  reservoir  for  its  general  ser\ace.  The 
high  service  tank  and  open  reservou'  were  the  places  where  the 
water  first  met  the  light.  From  these  two  reservoirs  the  water 
is  conducted  by  distributing  mains  to  the  town. 

The  quality  of  the  water  delivered  in  the  town  was  at  times 
far  from  satisfactory.  A  strong  taste  and  odor  were  often  pres- 
ent in  it,  and  these  were  the  more  marked  when  it  was  contrasted 
with  the  water  at  the  pumping  station.  This  latter  was  clear  and 
completely  free  from  disagreeable  taste  or  smell. 

An  examination  of  the  microscopic  contents  of  the  water  in  the 
open  reservou'  was  made  July  l-i.  The  water  was  found  to  con- 
tain five  species  of  green  algae,  —  Pediastrum,  Eudorina,  Volvox, 
Staurastrum  and  Asterionella,  the  last  two  of  which  were  abun- 
dantly I'epresented.  In  addition  to  these  there  were  a  few  filaments 
of  a  blue-green  alga,  OscUlaria,  and  the  decomposed  remains  of 
an  entomostracan  (water  flea).  As  the  green  algae  were  the  only 
organisms  abundantly  present  in  the  water  and  as  there  was  no 
source   of   contamination,  other  than  the  contained  organisms,  it 


90  WATER  SUPPLY  AND  SEWERAGE.       [Jan. 

was  suggested  that  the  disagreeable  taste  and  smell  was  in  the 
main  due  to  the  minute  green  plants. 

The  question  then  naturally  proposed  itself,  was  there  any 
means  of  ridding  the  water  of  these  plants  ?  It  has  been  known  for 
some  time  that  the  life  of  all  green  plants  is  dependent  upon  cer- 
tain materials  and  surroundings.  In  order  that  a  green  plant 
should  continue  to  live  and  grow  it  must  have,  in  addition  to  a  few 
less  constant  materials,  some  nitrogenous  compound,  water,  car- 
bon dioxide  and  oxygen.  These  in  themselves,  however,  are  not 
sufiBcient  to  nourish  the  plant ;  they  can  be  utilized  only  in  the 
presence  of  sunlight.  So  exacting  is  this  latter  requirement  that 
any  green  plant  destitute  of  food  stored  in  its  own  tissues,  if 
placed  in  perfect  darkness,  dies  at  once. 

"With  this  in  mind  as  a  working  theory,  it  was  suggested  that  the 
high  service  tank  at  Brookline  should  be  completely  covered  and 
all  light  excluded.  The  tank  was  emptied ,  cleaned  and  a  double 
roof  with  eaves  was  placed  on  it.  This  was  impervious  to  the 
light  and  from  time  to  time  was  examined  to  ascertain  that  no 
cracks  had  opened.  Water  was  introduced  and  on  October  7  a 
second  microscopic  examination  was  made. 

At  this  examination  samples  were  taken  at  the  pumping  station, 
high  service  tank  and  open  reservoir.  The  method  of  taking  the 
samples  is  as  follows  :  In  cases  where  a  faucet  is  available  a  stout 
cotton  cloth  is  tied  over  the  nozzle  and  about  seven  gallons  of 
water  are  strained  through  it.  This  amount  of  water  is  sufficient 
for  an  ordinary  examination  and  can  be  passed  through  the  cloth 
in  as  short  a  time  as  fifteen  minutes,  without  producing  pressure 
enough  to  drive  the  organisms  through  the  meshes. 

In  cases  such  as  the  open  reservoir,  where  no  faucet  was  avail- 
able, a  piece  of  cloth  was  stretched  on  a  net  frame  and  carried 
through  the  water.  Such  sample  cloths  should  be  placed  in  clean 
bottles  previously  rinsed  with  water  from  the  same  source  as  that 
for  the  sample.  The  contents  of  the  cloth  should  be  examined  as 
soon  after  collection  as  possible,  certainly  within  thirty-six  hours. 
This  limit  is  partiaUy  dependent  upon  temperature  ;  in  cold  weather 
the  cloths  can  be  kept  longer  than  at  warmer  periods.  If  the 
cloths  cannot  be  examined  at  once  they  should  be  diied  shortly 
after  the  collection  is  made,  and  in  this  state  they  can  be  preserved 
for  months.  When  it  is  desirable  to  examine  these  dried  cloths 
they  can  be  moistened  with  distilled  water.  In  the  case  of  the 
Brookline  water  all  the  samples  were  examined  while  fresh. 

The  sample  cloth  from  the  pumping  station  showed  no  green 
algae  whatever.  As  the  water  in  this  portion  of  the  system  is  in 
perfect   darkness,    the    absence  of  green    algae    agrees  well  with 


1888.]  SENATE— Xo.    4.  91 

the  theory.  Several  filaments  of  Leptothrix,  insignificant  in 
amount,  were  all  that  was  found.  The  water  was  clear  and  devoid 
of  disagreeable  smell  or  taste. 

•  The  sample  cloth  from  the  open  reservoir  showed  as  previously 
an  abundant  supply  of  green  algae,  a  few  representatives  of  the 
genera  Pandorina  and  Staurastrum,  an  abundance  of  two  specieS 
of  diatoms  and  of  one  species  of  Anomopedium,  with  Raphidium 
and  Vol  vox  represented  in  still  greater  abundance.  The  water 
was  slightly  cloudy  and  had  a  very  strong  taste  and  decidedly 
fishy  smell. 

The  sample  cloth  from  the  high  ser\T.ce  tank,  now  completely 
darkened,  contained  only  one  specimen  of  green  alga,  Closterium. 
This  may  possibly  have  been  on  the  nozzle  of  the  faucet,  although 
this  was  washed  before  the  cloth  was  put  on.  In  addition  to  the 
alga  there  were  several  filaments  of  Hypheothrix  which  were  prob- 
ably growing  in  the  tank.  These,  however,  like  the  Leptothrix  of 
the  sample  from  the  pumping  station  were  insignificant  in  amount. 
The  water  from  the  high  service  tank  was  now  free  from  odor  and 
taste,  and  for  all  practical  purposes  as  good  as  that  pumped  at  the 
filter  gallery. 

From  these  observations  it  seems  fair  to  conclude  that  since  the 
unpleasant  taste  and  smell  in  the  water  disappear  with  the  dis- 
appearance of  the  gi'een  algae,  these  latter  are  the  cause  of  the 
taste  and  smell,  and  that  any  means  by  which  the  light  is  excluded 
from  the  storage  reservoirs,  fiilter  basins,  etc.,  will  be  suflScient  to 
prevent  the  growth  of  green  algae. 

"What  has  been  said  applies  only  to  the  green  algae,  and  it  is 
very  natural  for  one  to  ask  are  there  not  other  forms  of  vegetable 
or  animal  life  which  may  adapt  themselves  to  darkened  chambers 
and  in  time  become  sources  of  contamination  for  the  water.  The 
possibility  of  this  has  already  been  suggested  by  the  fact  that 
in  the  closed  tank  and  filter  gallery  two  plants,  Hypheothrix  and 
Leptothrix,  have  been  noticed.  Could  not  these  multiply  to  such 
an  extent  that  in  time  they  would  become  as  noxious  as  the  green 
algae? 

Before  answering  this  question,  we  must  glance  for  a  moment  at 
the  relation  which  organisms  sustain  to  their  supply  of  food.  All 
organisms  depending  upon  the  way  in  which  they  acquire  their 
nutriment  can  be  divided  into  two  groups.  The  first  group  in- 
cludes those  which  manufacture  their  food  from  certain  simple 
chemical  compounds.  In  order  to  carry  on  this  work  they  must 
have  some  source  of  energy  ;  this  they  find  in  sunlight.  This 
group  includes  all  green  plants.  The  members  of  the  second 
group,  the  animals  and  such  plants  as  contain  no  green   coloi'ing 


92  WATER  SUPPLY  AND  SEWERAGE.       [Jan. 

matter,  do  not  manufacture  their  own  food,  but  nourish  themselves 
by  feeding  directly  or  indirectly  on  organisms  of  the  first  group. 
For  instance,  man  is  a  member  of  the  second  group  ;  his  food 
comes  from  two  sources,  other  animals  and  green  plants.  At  first 
sight  the  former  might  seem  a  source  of  food  iudependent  of  green 
plants,  but  a  moment's  reflection  Avill  show  that  the  animals  used 
for  nourishment  are  in  their  turn  dependent  for  food  either  directly 
on  green  plants  or  on  some  other  animal  which  in  its  turn  is 
dependent  on  vegetation.  Thus  ultimately  all  animal  food  is 
derived  from  green  plants.  As  sunlight  is  essential  to  members 
of  the  first  group,  so  are  representatives  of  this  group  or  some 
product  of  their  decomposition  essential  to  the  life  of  members  in 
the  second  group.  It  is  conceivable,  then,  that  a  member  of  the 
second  group,  an  animal  for  instance,  may  live  in  perfect  darkness 
so  long  as  it  is  supplied  with  nourishment  derived  directly  or 
indirectly  from  green  plants,  but  as  the  exclusion  of  light  destroys 
the  green  plant,  so  the  exclusion  of  the  green  plant  or  its  pro- 
ducts of  decomposition  will  destroy  the  animal. 

Hypheothrix  and  Leptothrix,  the  two  plants  found  in  small 
numbers  in  the  darkened  tank  and  filter  gallery,  are  members  of 
the  second  group.  They  depend  for  their  food  upon  partially 
decomposed  products  of  members  of  the  first  group.  Water 
which  has  percolated  for  a  considerable  distance  through  soil 
usually  contains  a  low  percentage  of  these  products,  and  the  presence 
of  Hypheothrix  and  Leptothrix  indicates  that  in  this  case  that  small 
amount  is  utilized  as  food.  It  will  also  be  noticed  that  since  the 
source  of  the  Brookline  water  is  free  from  any  green  growth  the 
amount  of  nutriment  contained  in  the  water  must  be  relatively 
small,  consequently  the  Hypheothrix  and  Leptothrix,  being  depend- 
ent upon  this  food  for  their  growth,  will  probably  never  reach 
harmful  proportions.  This  conclusion  is  further  supported  by  the 
fact  that  in  the  Watertown  system,  to  be  described  later,  the 
Hypheothrix  is  found,  and,  although  this  system  has  been  in  opera- 
tion for  some  years  and  the  opportunities  for  growth  are  quite  as 
favorable  as  in  the  high  service  tank  at  Brookline,  the  plant 
remains  as  inconspicuous  at  Watertown  as  at  Brookline. 

How  far  the  conclusions  obtained  from  the  examination  of  the 
Brookline  system  are  supported  by  other  evidence  will  be  seen 
from  the  following  description  of  the  five  remaining  systems. 

Walthani  (Nov.  23,  1887). —  In  the  system  at  Waltham,  the 
water  is  pumped  from  an  open  filter  basin  on  the  Charles  River  to 
an  open  reservoir,  and  is  then  distributed  to  the  town.  If  we 
neglect  the  high  service  tank  of  the  system  at  Brookline,  this  sys- 
tem is  essentially  like  that  of  the  last  named  town,  except  that 


1888.]  SENATE  — \o.    4.  93 

the  filter  gallery  is  replaced  by  iin  open  basin.  With  this  differ- 
ence we  should  expect  to  find  green  alg£e  not  only  in  the  reservoir 
but  also  in  the  filter  basin.  An  examination  of  the  water  in  the 
filter  basin  shows  this  to  be  true,  for  in  addition  to  a  large  growth 
of  Spirogyra,  a  partially  attached  green  alga,  seven  species  are 
found  floating  abundantly  in  the  water. 

Wobiirn  (Oct.  12,  1887). —  In  the  system  at  Woburn,  the 
water  is  pumped  from  a  filter  basin  not  completely  darkened  into 
a  main  which  distributes  it  to  the  town,  and  allows  the  surplus  to 
flow  back  into  a  small  reservoii'.  Our  theory  would  predict  a 
slight  growth  in  the  filter  basin  and  an  increased  growth  in  the 
open  reservoir.  On  examination  the  water  from  the  filter  basin 
contained  a  single  specimen  each  of  four  species  of  green  algae 
and  some  filaments  of  Ilypheothrix.  In  the  reservoir  two  species 
from  the  gallery  were  found  in  abundance,  and  two  others  were 
also  present.  One,  a  Confei*va,  grew  in  large  matted  masses 
which,  when  dried,  resembled  the  material  of  wasps'  nests. 

Xewton  (November,  1887). —  The  filter  basin  in  this  system 
is  a  long  open  canal  running  parallel  to  the  Charles  River.  From 
this  basin  the  water  is  pumped  into  a  distributing  main,  and  the 
surplus  is  stored  in  an  open  reservoir.  From  the  exposed  nature 
of  the  filter  basin  and  reservoir  we  should  expect  in  both  an  active 
growth  of  green  algae.  Examinations  of  the  water  show  that, 
besides  the  growth  of  Spirogyra,  which  occurs  along  the  bottom 
of  the  filter  basin,  the  water  contains  suspended  in  it  six  species 
of  green  algae.  Three  of  these  were  abundantly  represented. 
The  w^ater  in  the  reservoir  contains  nine  species  of  gi'een  algae, 
four  of  which  are  abundant.  This  increase  in  variety,  and  num- 
ber of  the  species  found  in  the  reservoir  over  those  in  the  filter 
basin,  is  perfectly  consistent  with  a  continued  exposure  of  the 
water  to  sunlight. 

Revere  (Dec.  12,  1887). —  At  Revere  the  water  from  a  series 
of  driven  wells  is  discharged  into  a  chamber  lighted  by  windows, 
and  from  this  collecting  chamber  it  is  pumped  into  distributing 
mains.  The  overflow  is  collected  in  an  open  reservoir.  Under 
these  conditions  a  slight  growth  in  the  collecting  chamber  and  an 
increased  growth  in  the  open  reservoir  might  be  expected.  An 
examination  of  the  water  gives  the  following  results  :  The  water 
in  the  collecting  chamber  contains  a  few  each  of  three  species  of 
green  algae ;  in  the  reservoir  four  species  of  green  algae  are  pres- 
ent ;  two  of  these  are  of  the  same  species  as  those  in  the  chamber. 
Of  the  four  two  are  abundant  and  one  is  very  abundant. 

Watertoiun  (Nov.  6,  1887). —  The  filter  basin  in  this  system 
is  in  part  open  so  that  one  end  receives  diffused  daylight.     From 


94  WATER  SUPPLY  AND  SEWERAGE.       [Jan. 

this  the  water  is  pumped  into  the  distributing  main  and  the  over- 
flow is  collected  in  a  tank.  This  tank,  although  covered  with  a 
roof,  has  an  air  space  above  it  into  which  a  number  of  windows 
open.  The  filter  basin  receives  fully  as  much  light  as  the  same 
structure  in  the  Woburu  system,  and  as  this  latter  contained  a  few 
green  algse  one  would  expect  naturally  a  similar  growth  at  Water- 
town.  The  tank,  of  course,  receives  much  less  light  than  an  open 
reservoir,  but  there  appears  to  be  sufficient  light  to  warrant  the 
expectation  of  a  few  green  algse.  An  examination  of  the  water 
in  both  the  filter  basin  and  tank  shows  only  a  few  filaments  of  Hy- 
pheothrix.  This  at  first  sight  may  seem  exceptional.  By  way  of 
explanation,  however,  it  may  be  said  that  in  situations  such  as  fil- 
ter basins  the  presence  of  light  only  renders  possible  the  life  of 
green  algae  but  does  not  necessitate  their  growth.  The  Water- 
town  system  then  may  be  one  in  which  green  algae  have  not  as  yet 
made  their  way,  but  if  once  planted  they  might  multiply  there  as 
elsewhere.  It  is  noticeable,  however,  that  owing  to  the  small 
amount  of  light  entering  the  filter  basin  and  tank  the  growth  of 
green  algse  would  probably  never  become  conspicuous,  not  to  say 
harmfully  abundant.  The  water  from  this  system  as  well  as  that 
from  Revere  has  never  been  noticed  to  have  any  disagreeable 
taste  or  smell. 

With  this,  the  account  of  the  examination  of  the  ground  waters 
is  concluded.  Excepting  the  conditions  at  Watertown,  which  have 
already  been  discussed,  the  four  open  reservoirs  and  four  open 
filter  basins  examined  all  contained  green  algse.  When  the  algae 
were  abundant  a  disagreeable  taste  and  odor  characterized  the 
water.  The  tank  and  filter  gallery  at  Brookline,  both  completely 
darkened,  contained  no  green  algffi.  In  these  two  situations  the 
water  had  no  disagreeable  taste  or  smell.  From  these  facts  it 
would  appear  that  the  green  algse  are,  in  the  main,  the  cause  of 
the  bad  taste  and  smell  in  the  water  and  that  these  plants  are  de- 
pendent for  their  existence  on  sunlight.  It  is  therefore  concluded 
that  the  complete  exclusion  of  sunlight  from  storage  reservoirs, 
filter  basins,  etc.,  is  an  efficient  practical  remedy  for  the  delete- 
rious effects  of  these  organisms. 

Respectfully  submitted, 

G.  H.  PARKER. 


1888.]  SENATE  — No.    4.  95 


Coromonhjealt^  of  P^assac^nsftta. 


[Chap.  274.] 
An  Act  to  protect  the  purity  of  inland  waters. 

Be  it  enacted,  etc.,  as  follows  : 

Section  1.  The  state  board  of  health  shall  have  the  general 
oversight  and  care  of  all  inland  waters  and  shall  be  furnished  with 
maps,  plans  and  documents  suitable  for  this  purpose,  and  records 
of  all  its  doings  in  relation  thereto  shall  be  kept.  It  may  employ 
such  engineers  and  clerks  and  other  assistants  as  it  may  deem 
necessary  :  provided,  that  no  contracts  or  other  acts  which  involve 
the  payment  of  money  from  the  treasury  of  the  Commonwealth 
shall  be  made  or  done  without  an  appropriation  expressly  made 
therefor  by  the  general  court.  It  shall  annually  on  or  before  the 
tenth  day  of  January  report  to  the  general  court  its  doings  in  the 
preceding  year,  and  at  the  same  time  submit  estimates  of  the  sums 
requh'ed  to  meet  the  expenses  of  said  board  in  relation  to  the  care 
and  oversight  of  inland  waters  for  the  ensuing  year  ;  and  it  shall 
also  recommend  legislation  and  suitable  plans  for  such  systems  of 
main  sewers  as  it  may  deem  necessai'y  for  the  preservation  of  the 
public  health  and  for  the  purification  and  prevention  of  pollution 
of  the  ponds,  streams  and  inland  waters  of  the  Commonwealth. 

Sect.  .2.  Said  board  shall  from  time  to  time  as  it  may  deem 
expedient,  cause  examinations  of  the  said  waters  to  be  made  for 
the  purpose  of  ascertaining  whether  the  same  are  adapted  for  use 
as  sources  of  domestic  water  supplies  or  are  in  a  condition  likely 
to  impair  the  interests  of  the  public  or  persons  lawfully  using  the 
same,  or  imperil  the  public  health.  It  shall  recommend  measures 
for  prevention  of  the  pollution  of  such  waters  and  for  i-emoval  of 
substances  and  causes  of  every  kind  which  may  be  liable  to  cause 
pollution  thereof,  in  order  to  protect  and  develop  the  rights  and 
property  of  the  Commonwealth  therein  and  to  protect  the  public 
health.  It  shall  have  authority  to  conduct  experiments  to  deter- 
mine the  best  practicable  methods  of  purification  of  drainage  or 
disposal  of  refuse  arising  from  manufacturing  and  other  industrial 
establishments.  For  the  purposes  aforesaid  it  may  employ  such 
expert  assistance  as  may  be  necessary. 


9(3         WATER  SUPPLY  AND  SEWERAGE.     [Jan.'88. 

Sect.  3.  It  shall  from  thne  to  time  consult  with  and  advise  the 
authorities  of  cities  and  towns,  or  with  corporations,  firms  or 
individuals  either  already  ha^ing  or  intending  to  introduce  systems 
of  water  supply  or  sewerage,  as  to  the  most  appropriate  source  of 
suppl}',  the  best  practicable  method  of  assuring  the  purity  thereof 
or  of  disposing  of  theu-  sewage,  having  regard  to  the  present  and 
prospective  needs  and  interests  of  other  cities,  towns,  corpora- 
tions, firms  or  individuals  which  may  be  affected  thereby.  It 
shall  also  from  time  to  time  consult  with  and  advise  persons  or 
corporations  engaged  or  intending  to  engage  in  any  maniifactui-ing 
or  other  business,  drainage  or  refuse  from  which  may  tend  to 
cause  the  pollution  of  any  inland  water,  as  to  the  best  practicable 
method  of  preventing  such  pollution  by  the  interception,  disposal 
or  pmification  of  such  drainage  or  refuse :  provided,  that  no 
person  shall  be  compelled  to  bear  the  expense  of  such  consultation 
or  advice,  or  of  experiments  made  for  the  purposes  of  this  act. 
All  such  authorities,  corporations,  firins  and  individuals  are  hereby 
requii'ed  to  give  notice  to  said  board  of  their  intentions  in  the 
premises,  and  to  submit  for  its  advice  outlines  of  their  proposed 
plans  or  schemes  in  relation  to  water  supply  and  disposal  of  drain- 
age or  refuse.  Said  board  shall  bring  to  the  notice  of  the 
attorney-general  all  instances  which  may  come  to  it-s  knowledge  of 
omission  to  comply  with  existing  laws  respecting  the  pollution  of 
water  supplies  and  inland  waters  and  shall  annually  report  to  the 
legislatm'e  any  specific  cases  not  covered  by  the  provisions  of 
existing  laws,  which  in  its  opinion  call  for  further  legislation. 
— {^Approved  June  9,  1886. 

Acting  under  the  provisions  of  this  act,  the  State  Board 
of  Health  is  ready  to  consult  with  and  advise  the  authorities 
of  cities  and  towns  and  others,  and  to  receive  outlines  of 
proposed  plans  from  them,  as  provided  in  section  3  of  chap- 
ter 274,  Acts  of  1886. 


COLUMBIA   UNIVERSITY   LIBRARIES 

This  book  is  due  on  the  date  indicated  below,  or  at  the 
expiration  of  a  definite  period  after  the  date  of  borrowing,  as 
provided  by  the  library  rules  or  by  special  arrangement  with 
the  Librarian  in  charge. 

DATE  BORROWED 

DATE  DUE 

DATE  BORROWED 

DATE  DUE 

C2a(25l)IOOM 

GAYLAMOUNT 

PAMPHLET  BINDER 

-^^^ 

MaairtMtur«4  b> 
GAYLORDBROS   Inc 

Syracuse,  N.  Y. 

Stockton,  Calif. 


^84. CI 


U38 
1888 


Massachusetts  deot.  of  public 
■ealth 

Report  of  the  state  board  of 
health  on  vrater-supply  F^.   sewerage 


M3« 


